


To Crush a Rose

by Trappola



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Horror, Jikininki, M/M, Minor Character Death, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:41:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 32,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26641597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trappola/pseuds/Trappola
Summary: All evil done clings to the body.A jikininki!Floyd AU. Based off ofthis artworkwith permission from the artist. Takes place over many years.Mismatched eyes glanced them up and down, the smile on his lips growing to reveal sharpened teeth. Shivers ran up the young boy’s spine and he took a step back, distancing himself ever so slightly from both his mother and the person before him. Thethingin front of them pulled his hands out of his pockets and straightened himself. Tears stung at Riddle’s eyes, unable to keep himself from staring at the way his teeth had been filed into points. This person may not have been a demon, but only someone with demonic intentions would do that to themselves.
Relationships: Floyd Leech/Riddle Rosehearts
Comments: 30
Kudos: 225





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new Floyd/Riddle fanfiction! This is an AU where Floyd is a jikininki and [you should check out the artist that inspired it.](https://twitter.com/namuamina/status/1308771287838285824) I'll be playing around a little with jikininkis, which are human-eating spirits in Buddhist lore. However, there's a lot of ways they manifest and for example, I'm sticking with the more human-like depictions of them for obvious reasons.
> 
> May have alternating POVs for each chapter, not quite sure yet.

Orange and pinks filled the sky, though the young boy’s feet dragged in the dirt as he held his mother’s hand. It wasn’t a particularly far walk, but the Roseheart family lived on the outskirts of town, away from the distractions of people, and the ten-year-old had been forced to go to work with his mom at the clinic, leaving him exhausted. At first, he had to admit--he’d been excited to go see what his mom did at work. He knew she was known around their town, and even the towns neighboring theirs, for being a good doctor. But really, Riddle knew this was punishment.

He wasn’t sure how the other two boys had found his home, but Trey and Che’nya had urged him out to come play. He’d  _ tried  _ to tell them no, but their pleads were like a siren’s calling, and before he knew it, the two kids were running through the forest towards town. They’d been kind to him, given him sweets, and kept him out until the sun began to set. When he’d arrived home, dirty from rough-housing and unable to contain the smile on his lips, his mother had smacked him across the cheek.

Riddle was not to be trusted alone anymore. Old people cooed at him, but he didn’t even dare tear his blue-grey eyes from the book he had been reading. She’d probably find out somehow, and he couldn’t disappoint his mother. Not again. 

“Mama?” The redhead said, kicking at a small rock in front of him. She gave him a curious glance, though her face remained as hard as ever. “Can you carry me?”

The woman sighed and shook her head. “You won’t get stronger if you don’t push yourself.” She was always hard on him. She wanted him to be stronger emotionally, physically. But most of all, she wanted him to be  _ smarter _ . His mother would give up anything in the world in order to have her son be more brilliant than she could be, and she was going to make it happen whether Riddle liked it or not, and he knew better than to complain about being tired. 

They were about halfway home when he felt the prickling sensation at the back of his neck, his free hand physically moving to rub at it. However, it didn’t shake the uneasy feeling settling into his bones as the darkness descended on the two of them. His gaze darted through the trees around them, trying to take note of anything that might have caused this uneasiness. 

The young boy squeezed onto his mother’s hand tighter, though she either didn’t notice or care about his growing anxiety. Riddle bit down on the inside of his cheek, trying to steady his racing pulse.

“Mama, I’m scared.” He finally managed to get out.

Her brows knit together. “There’s nothing to be scared of.”

“No!” Riddle tugged at his mom’s hand, blue-grey eyes darting through the woods. “There’s something out there.”

“It’s just your imagination, Riddle.” She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance with her free hand. 

But there  _ was  _ something out there. He knew it. He could feel eyes on his back, watching the two of them, ready to pounce.  _ A wolf?  _ He wondered, but his mind replayed something Che’nya had teased him about. 

_ “You and your mom must be pretty brave”  _ Riddle had furrowed his brow at Che’nya’s statement, uncertain as to what he meant. There were plenty of people who lived outside of town. Him and his mother weren’t special. “ _ My mom says there’s demons in the woods~”  _ He explained, though that didn’t stop the redhead’s confusion. It was completely illogical to even suggest such a thing.

_ “There’s no such thing as demons _ .” He responded. 

A smile formed on Trey’s lips.  _ “That’s just a story they tell kids so they stay out and don’t hurt themselves.” _

_ “That’s not true! My mom said someone went missing a couple weeks ago!”  _

The redhead tried to shake the thought from his mind. It was absolutely illogical. Demons weren’t real. And besides, he and his mother had walked through the forest countless times. Why would  _ now  _ be the time a demon decided to follow them?

The rustling of leaves pulled him out of his thought process, making him jump slightly. He clung to his mother with both hands, moving closer to her to hide himself from whatever may have made the noise. Even Riddle’s mother glanced towards the sound, though she didn’t seem uneasy by the person who stepped onto the path.

He didn’t look particularly old, but even with his shoulders hunched, he looked as if he would tower over the two of them. Despite his abnormal entrance, he seemed fine--certainly not a wolf or a demon, but there was something off about him that Riddle couldn’t place. The tall boy stared at them, a bored look on his features as he stood in the middle of the pathway. 

“Can I help you?” As soon as his mother asked, his eyes shot up towards her. She looked genuinely concerned for the person in front of them and the young boy couldn’t understand why she couldn’t see that something was wrong with him.

“Mom.” Riddle whispered, tugging on her arm a little. Her free hand moved to tell him to stop, though she didn’t take her eyes off of the mysterious person. 

“Mmm…” The boy in front of them said, lips curling into a smile. “I think I may be a little lost.” There was a sharpness to his voice that even his mother couldn’t ignore. She let go of Riddle’s hand, pushing him gently to stand behind her.

“Town’s back this way if that’s what you’re looking for.” She said, nodding her head to indicate she had meant behind them. Mismatched eyes glanced them up and down, the smile on his lips growing to reveal sharpened teeth. Shivers ran up the young boy’s spine and he took a step back, distancing himself ever so slightly from both his mother and the person before him. The  _ thing  _ in front of them pulled his hands out of his pockets and straightened himself. Tears stung at Riddle’s eyes, unable to keep himself from staring at the way his teeth had been filed into points. This person may not have been a demon, but only someone with demonic intentions would do that to themselves.

His mother turned her head to look at Riddle out of the corner of his eyes, catching his attention. “Riddle, head back to town.” She whispered, her own voice rife with panic. “Wait for me at the clin--”

She was too slow. The teal haired boy closed the distance between them so quickly that Riddle hadn’t even noticed. Fingers curled around her head, pulling it all around the other way until an inhuman  _ snap  _ emitted from it and her body fell between the two boys. The older of the two was cackling, eyes staring at Riddle as he did so.

The redhead’s knees shook, blue hues locked onto his mother on the ground. Her eyes, much brighter than his own, stared at nothing. “Mama…?” His voice cracked, uncertain if he should run to her to see if he could help her or to run as she had instructed. There was no response, and in the back of his mind, he knew that she was dead, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave her.

The tall boy had stopped laughing and knelt down next to her, seeming to have forgotten the child for the moment. Gloved hands grabbed her by the shoulders and he lifted the dead weight with a surprising amount of ease before his teeth sunk into her neck to rip a chunk of her flesh out.

Blue eyes widened at this action and he fell to the ground, hands covering his mouth as his whole body shook. Riddle tried to back away on the ground, though he couldn’t tear his eyes as the person before him kept swallowing her flesh. He lifted her dress until it exposed her stomach, leaning down to bite the soft flesh there as well. Blood soaked the pathway and the young boy’s body shook uncontrollably. While the tears rolled down his cheeks, he was too scared to make a noise, afraid that he might be subject to the demon’s ire.

Yes, there was no doubt about it in his mind now. Che’nya was right--there  _ was  _ a demon. He looked more human than not, but there was no way a human could devour another human’s flesh with such ease. And now he was sitting there as darkness settled in the woods, watching that demon devour his mother. 

“P-Please...stop.” He didn’t know the words had come out until he heard it himself. Riddle’s voice cracked as he begged, knowing it was of no use. No matter how much he pleaded, even if the demon did stop, it would never bring his mother back to him.

The demon pulled away from her body, though one of his gloved hands continued picking at her insides, bringing up an intestine to chew on as casually as if it were candy. “Eh~?” The teal haired boy tilted his head to the side, looking the small child up and down. A smirk formed on his lips as he licked the blood off of one of his fingers while the two made eye contact. “Don’t worry, Goldfishie~ We can play soon.”

Fingers gripped into the soil beneath him and he bit down hard enough on his lower lip to taste a small amount of metallic, which caused him to lean over to vomit. It was too close to what he was seeing now and all it brought were images of him in the demon’s place. The demon ripped another organ from its place within her body, though his attention was back towards eating. It was sickening how much it looked like he was savoring the flavor. If he couldn’t see what he was  _ actually  _ eating, Riddle might have assumed from that look he was eating a strawberry tart or something. 

He knew he had to get up. His legs continued to shake as he found his way back onto two feet. The demon glanced towards him once more, a smile on his face as he wiped the blood on his mouth away with his jacket sleeve. “Ah~ Are you going to run?” Riddle took two hesitant steps backwards, but he didn’t dare turn his back yet. “I love when they run~” Another tentative two steps backwards. The older of the two glanced back down towards the nearly-hollow shell of his victim and moved to grab her dress once more.

That was his chance. Riddle took off running as fast as he could towards town, far too afraid to try to run past the demon and his mother to get home. Besides, there he could find someone to take him in. Maybe he could even find Che’nya or Trey’s home. But he knew that he could never outrun the demon. Even if he hadn’t seen how fast he was before killing his mother, there was no way his little legs could do that.

So, for now, he had to lose him. The boy bolted into the forest, running vaguely in the direction that the town was in, but making sure not to stay parallel to the dirt road. It’d be far too easy to guess where he was if he did that, and tricking the other was his only hope of survival. But he could hear the loud rustling behind him of the larger boy chasing after him through the woods. Riddle didn’t dare glance back to see how far the other was, too afraid of tripping over the foliage. 

Instead, he searched for a place to hide. The small boy darted underneath a tree’s tangle of roots, shoving himself as far down as he could. While he wasn’t completely hidden, it was dark enough now that he hoped that he’d be fine. Tears continued to stream down his face, though he covered his mouth just in case he involuntarily let out a sob. 

In the not-so-far off distance, he could hear the rustling slowing. Twigs snapped under the other’s weight as he drew closer and Riddle could imagine those mismatched eyes searching every crevice for him. Riddle was afraid the sound of his heart beating would betray him with how loudly it thumped in his head. The boy attempted to hide even more within the roots as he heard the steps getting closer and closer, but it didn’t work. 

Blue eyes took note of the large shoe that stood next to the roots, which he bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from screaming out. The demon stood there for a moment, turning around as he looked for the young boy. While Riddle couldn’t see his face, he hoped that being unable to find him, especially when in reality he was right next to him, frustrated him. Finally, the teal haired boy began walking again and he disappeared into the foliage once more.

Ten minutes passed before the ten-year-old decided it was safe to breathe again, and another five before he gathered up the courage to snake his way out of the tree. He brushed the dirt off of his closed, though terror struck him once more as he heard the familiar laugh of the demon right behind him. Blue-grey eyes closed tightly for a moment as he felt his stomach flip.  _ I’m going to die _ . Slowly, he turned to face the demon once more, his lip quivering as he took note of the teenager leaning against the tree. “That was really fun~” He teased as he moved to sit up straight and took a step towards the boy.

The redhead backed up slowly, though he let out a loud yelp as his foot caught the root of a tree and he fell down. The demon chuckled once more and Riddle scrambled backwards on the ground until his back hit a tree. He pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them defensively as he hid his face from the other. There was no escaping this.

He could hear the other walking towards him, though the demon stopped just before him. The child tensed up, waiting for him to pull him out of his defensive pose to get a better angle to rip his flesh. But minutes passed and the confusion was so overwhelming that even his panicked breathing began to slow. Slowly, he lifted his head to see the other kneeling in front of him, a smile on his face. It was strange, almost--that wasn’t the smile that had taken pleasure in killing his mother. If he hadn’t seen that, or even just the sharpened teeth behind the smile, he might have assumed he was human. But Riddle knew what was lurking within him. There was no denying what he truly was.

“Are you done~?” Riddle refused to respond. A gloved hand moved to grasp the redhead’s chin, which made him jump slightly, but there was nowhere to retreat to. He could feel a sticky liquid on his chin, which made him want to vomit again. The older boy turned his face left to right, up and down as he examined it. “Too young.” He whined, finally letting go to dig into his pocket. 

The child immediately knew the pattern of the strip of fabric he pulled out. He wondered how long it would take before someone found her mangled body. How long it would take to find  _ his  _ mangled body. The demon grabbed his wrists with one hand, which Riddle tried to yank backwards to no avail. Blue-grey eyes could only watch as the fabric spun around and around his wrist.

But why this? Why was he going through all this effort when he had simply broken his mother’s neck before? He shifted uncomfortably, unsure if he actually  _ wanted  _ the answer or not. The demon reached into his pocket once more, pulling out an identical strip. Riddle no longer tried to struggle against the binding. His whole body was numb and even the tears had slowed, though he couldn’t bring himself to stop them completely. All he could imagine was how sad Trey and Che’nya would be.

“W-Why are you doing this?” He finally managed to get out. 

The teal haired boy tilted his head to the side, confusion evident on his features. “I said you’re too young for my taste.”  _ That didn’t answer my question _ . His arms wrapped around Riddle and he picked him up, holding the boy close to his chest as he began walking. “I’ll eat you when you grow up, alright~?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Florid day! Or really, happy late Florid day since it's 12:03 here RIP

He wasn’t sure how long he had been carried. An hour? Two? It didn’t matter. Blue eyes stared straight ahead of him, his body trembling against the chest of the older person holding him. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks to create lines of pinkish skin peeking out from the drying blood. _This can’t be happening_ . Riddle couldn’t even bring himself to cry out. _She’s not dead._

But she was, and he knew that. He hadn’t been able to do anything to save his mother and even now he couldn’t do anything to save himself. _I should scream_ . He’d think to himself. _No, he’d just kill whoever came to help me_ . This boy was fast. He was cruel. _I should try to hit him and hope he’ll drop me._ But the child was still tied up and it’d simply make him angrier. There was truly nothing to save the Rosehearts family.

They’d finally come to a small home that was old and definitely showed signs of wear and tear over the years. The sound of his captor’s shoes on the wooden floor knocked him out of his trance and his gaze moved to examine his new surroundings. It was rather bare, with clothes strewn over the lone couch in the living room. Had it not been for that mess, he probably wouldn’t have assumed _anyone_ lived here.

The demon kicked a door open, revealing an even _more_ bare room that he set Riddle down in. “Welcome home~!” He cheered, as if he had adopted a puppy instead of having kidnapped a child after murdering his mother. Riddle didn’t say anything in return, he just sat there, legs and feet bound, staring up at the tall person before him. The teal haired boy’s lips curled into a smile and he leaned down slightly to be on a _slightly_ more even level with him. “You were such a good boy on the walk here, I’m going to give you a reward!”

He knelt down next to Riddle, who scrambled away awkwardly due to the bindings on his legs until his back hit a wall. Mismatched eyes watched the child with a sick sense of amusement, though that gaze moved above him, which sent shivers up his spine. The demon stood to move once more, this time grabbing the redhead’s calf firmly with one hand to keep him still while the other moved to untie the bloodied fabric around his legs. “There~” He stood up once more, moving towards the door. However, he stopped with a hand on the doorknob and glanced back towards Riddle, the amused smile on his lips growing to show the sharpened teeth that had killed his mother. “Now be a good boy, alright?”

Then, the sound of a lock sliding into place.

Riddle stood up quickly, moving to put an ear on the door to listen to the other’s movements. Footsteps could be heard going further away, then the sound of the door in the direction they had come from opening and closing once more. His heart beat heavily inside of his chest and he glanced around the room, blue-grey eyes finally focusing on what the demon had been staring at above him. His bottom lip quivered as he took in the dark red that stained the off-white walls. The child fell to his knees, already imagining him in the same position as whoever that had been--slumped on the floor, the teenager’s fangs digging into flesh while his blood added decoration to the otherwise bland home. 

_I have to get out of here_ . But there were no windows. His eyes moved towards the two doors in the room and he opted for the one closest to him. A closet. A _filled_ closet with clothes that were bigger than him, but far too small to be those of his captor. Once again, his gaze moved towards the bloodstained wall, but he fought the haunting sensation off to search anything propped against the wall that could be used as a weapon. Nothing. Riddle rushed towards the other door, revealing a bathroom. Once again, nothing that would be helpful. 

It was obvious that his captor was smart, but that that didn’t deter him. The redhead moved to the door once more, trying to pull at the doorknob to force it open to no avail. Then, he was running into the door with his shoulder, but all that managed to do was bruise him. Finally, the young boy stumbled backwards, falling to his knees in the middle of the bare bedroom. “Mama…” He whimpered, chest heaving as his body suddenly began seeming far too heavy for him. “Mama, I wanna go _home_.” But there was no reply. The boy sat in the darkness alone, tears spilling down his cheeks, until he finally decided to lay down and cry until he fell asleep. 

* * *

He could feel the warmth of someone else’s hands on his face--not rough, just enough to pull him out of the nightmare he’d been having. “Mama…?” Blue eyes flickered open and once the fogginess drifted away, he was met staring up at the teal haired boy he had hoped was just a part of his nightmare. The redhead shot up and scrambled away from the other, once again moving until he was trapped between the wall and the other person. Riddle moved his hands to cover his face, curling inwards to try to block the other out as much as possible. _This is it. He’s going to kill me_. 

“Eh~?” The demon chuckled. “You don’t have to panic, Goldfishy~ I said I wouldn’t eat you yet.” He got up to move towards the other once more before kneeling down next to him. “Aww~ Let me see your face!” His voice was sickeningly sweet, which made Riddle want to vomit. He wouldn’t fall for any tricks of false niceties--this was the monster who ate his mother. “Do you really want to make this harder~?” A hand curled around the child’s forearm firmly to try and gently move it out of his face, but he only curled into himself more. The grip on him tightened and the teenager yanked it hard to the side with enough force that Riddle fell to the side with it. Blue eyes shot up towards the other, taking note of the cold expression lingering on the other’s face. He wasn’t sure which was more unsettling--his smile or the sheer look of disdain. 

The boy righted himself once more, though he didn’t dare cover his face again. Mismatched eyes examined his face and without the protection of his body to make him feel better, the boy’s body began to visibly tremble. “Please stop…” He whimpered, causing the other’s smile to widen, revealing those horrible pointed teeth. Riddle could have sworn that his mother’s blood still dripped from those pearly white teeth, but after he blinked a couple times, the image he had seen last night vanished before him.

“Aww~ But I wanted to play more!” The demon teased, though he relaxed his grip slightly. Riddle jumped slightly as something wet touched his cheek, causing him to pull away slightly to glance at the wet rag he hadn’t noticed in the other’s free hand. He glanced back towards the other, an innocent smile on his lips. The ten-year-old relaxed slightly, moving back to how he’d been sitting originally and the teenager began rubbing at the dried blood on his face once more. “See~? That’s a good Goldfish.”

“Goldfish…?” Brows furrowed tightly as he watched the other carefully, checking to make sure the other wasn’t going to decide to bite into him at the drop of a hat.

“Yeah~! Because when you cry, your face gets all red and cute!”

Blue eyes narrowed into a death glare, causing the other to burst out laughing. “My _name_ is--”

“I don’t want to know your name.” And there it was--that cold expression the other had had the night before. His grip tightened around the other’s forearm once more, causing him to wince in pain. It only lasted a moment, however, and the warning was heard loud and clear. 

A silence settled between them for a long while as the other wiped at the stubborn dried blood, but the blood on the wall beside him was just as jarring to him as the other’s strange urge to clean him off. Riddle chewed at the inside of his lip, trying his hardest not to look at it, but found himself failing. “That was Shrimp.” The teenager finally stated, his voice calm and collected.

“Did you take him too?” He nodded. “ _Why?_ Why do you do this?”

He shrugged. “We all have to eat.”

“You already--” Riddle cut himself off, trying to will the words to come out of his mouth. _You already ate my mother_. The teenager let go of him and stopped wiping at his chin but remained kneeling directly in front of him.

“I already did what, Goldfish?”

Lips pressed into a fine line as he glared at the other, though he tried his best to keep his breathing even. “You know what you did.”

Another innocent smile. “I want you to say it.”

The child waited a long while, wondering just how sick the other person must have been to get enjoyment out of him recalling his mother’s horrific death. Images of her head facing him at an inhuman angle, her blood all over the other’s gloves, the way one of the demon’s eyes seemed to shine just a _little_ brighter, even in the darkness. “You already ate my mother.” He finally managed to get out, but not without his lower lip trembling ever so slightly. 

“You’re for later, of course!” 

“How _much_ later?”

“That depends on you.” The odd-eyed boy glanced back towards the bulk of the bloodstain on the wall, the smile dropping slightly as he glanced at it. “Shrimpy here only lasted a couple days, but they weren’t ripe enough.” _Ripe enough?_ It was beginning to dawn on the redhead just how much the other definitely saw him as nothing more than livestock. “They wouldn’t stop crying and screaming. I tried to get them to stop, but there’s only so much you can do~”

Riddle swallowed hard, suddenly thankful that he was responding to everything with numbness more than anything. He couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if the other hadn’t left the night before and had heard him crying. “Please…” He whispered, hoping to appeal to the apparent humanity that was still lingering in the other. “ _Please_ let me go home, I won’t tell anyone, I _promise_.” 

The other locked eyes with him, though he didn’t say anything for a long while. Riddle’s heart rate began to quicken, hoping that this meant he was considering it. But the other finally shook his head and stood up. “That’s not going to keep you alive very long, Goldfish.” A hand extended down towards the child and his brows furrowed slightly, glancing from it to his face, then back towards the hand. He hesitated a moment, but one of his bound hands grasped the other’s and he was pulled to his feet. “Besides~” His voice returned to a lazy happiness as he moved towards the door, motioning for the child to follow, “It’ll be fun~”

 _Is this a trick_ ? The redhead shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, staring at the open doorway that the other exited from. _He’s just waiting for me to escape, isn’t he?_ The teenager poked his head back through the doorway after a moment, genuine confusion spread across his face. “Are you coming?”

“Are you going to kill me?”

The confused expression deepend. “Only if you try to run.”

Riddle shook his head, still uncertain by the whole scenario. He leaned back against the wall, sliding down it until he was in a seated position once again. The teenager moved back into the doorway, leaning on the frame as he watched the child with mild amusement. “I’m not going to keep you locked in this room forever, I’m not a monster.” The younger of the two scoffed, which caused the other to begin moving closer to him once more. He knelt down, grabbing the redhead’s hands to pull them between the two of them so he could work on the knot. “We’ll start here then~” 

Once the bloodied fabric fell into his lap, he stared at it for a while as he rubbed his wrists. “ _Why_?”

The demon shrugged slightly before gripping the smaller boy’s chin gently, turning it to give him a fair examination. “How old are you, eight?”

“Ten.”

“Then you’ll be here...hmm…” He thought for a moment, humming to himself, “at least another six years or so? That’d be really boring if you were just stuck in here.”

 _Boring?_ Riddle really wasn’t understanding this person at all. While he certainly didn’t have as much experience kidnapping children as the person before him did, he couldn’t imagine caring about how _boring_ something would be or not. He was just planning on eating him at some point. What did it matter if his victim eventually went insane from a lack of stimulation? The boy let out a dry laugh, realizing he might actually _prefer_ that outcome. If he lost his mind, would he even be aware enough when he was older to understand that he was being killed? 

“Someone’s going to find me.” He finally said.

“Oh~?” The demon chuckled. “What makes you so sure about that?”

“They’re going to find my mother’s body, they’ll know something happened to me, too. Everyone knows I was with her.”

The teenager smiled. “I took care of her body last night, silly goldfish~”

Riddle could feel the blood draining from his face. “W-What?”

“Mmhm~ I went back and ate the rest while you were safe here.” He stood up, making his way to the doorway once more. “And no one’s found me in hundreds of years.” Suddenly he wanted to vomit. _Hundreds?_ How was that even possible? _Demons aren’t real._ He tried convincing himself once more, his whole body going cold. 

“W-What _are_ you?”

The other tapped his chin for a moment, pretending to mull something over in his mind before he smiled once more. The teal haired boy gripped the door knob with one hand and the doorframe in the other, using them to support himself as he put his weight forward to lean towards Riddle. “I’m Floyd~” He smiled before popping back onto his heels and closing the door, leaving the boy feeling truly alone for the first time as the familiar sound of the lock sliding into place echoed through the empty room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throws another update at you pretty much immediately after posting the last one because I'm having fun.

Without windows, it was hard to tell how long it had been since he’d been invited to leave the room again. Floyd would come, bring him food, and talk with him, but without any other stimuli, the days dragged on and on. Sometimes he’d hear the front door open, presumably for the demon to catch his next victim, and he could see his mother’s eyes, a much brighter blue than his, telling him to head back to the clinic without her. Sometimes he wondered if things would be different if he had put up a bigger fight when he thought something was following them. Other times he knew that by then it was already too late for them. There was no doubt in his mind anymore that Floyd had been what had been watching them, though he didn’t dare ask for confirmation. It didn’t matter anyways.

When the older of the two finally  _ did  _ hold the door open for him again, Riddle stared at it in disbelief. His initial thought was to run, to run out the door and hope that he could outrun the other, but that hadn’t worked out the first time. He needed to be  _ smarter  _ if he wanted to live through this. But through the doorway he could see a window on the other side of the living room and even that tiny bit of sunlight was enough to make tears threaten to spill over. 

Floyd seemed ecstatic at the change of heart. He moved out of the door frame as Riddle inched closer, still uncertain if the other would keep his word not to attack him until he was older. His hand trembled as he reached for the door frame, placing his hand there as he gave a tentative glance towards the demon rocking back and forth on his feet with his lips curled into a pleased smile. 

“H-How long have I been here?” The child wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer or not.

Floyd thought for a moment, obviously not used to contemplating time himself. “About a week or so?”

The redhead gave him a slightly annoyed glance. For someone who sometimes seemed so terrifying, he also came off as an airhead. “You’re not certain?”

The teal haired boy stopped rocking back and forth and pouted. “You can go back in there if you want, Goldfishy.”

“ _ No! _ ” The words came out of his mouth before he even had the chance to think it over. His fingers curled tightly around the doorframe, knuckles turning white as he watched the smile return to Floyd’s lips. “I just…” He wasn’t even sure where he was going with that comment himself.  _ Was hoping someone would have found me by now?  _ No, that seemed unlikely.  _ Am afraid I might have been going crazy in there?  _ Probably  _ not  _ the best thing to mention to the person who ate your mother. Either way, it seemed like his idea of playing it cool was quickly going out the window. “I don’t know.”

“That’s alright~” A hand moved to ruffle his red hair. The boy jumped slightly at the sudden physical contact, gaze darting towards the other. He certainly wasn’t used to physical contact--he couldn’t even really  _ remember  _ the last time his mother had ruffled his hair or even hugged him. Floyd’s brows knit tightly together as he took in Riddle’s uncomfortable expression and he immediately ruffled his short hair once more.

“ _ Stop _ .” The child said, feeling warmth tugging at his cheeks.  _ No, don’t get mad at him _ . He tried to tell himself.  _ That’ll only end up bad for you _ . 

“You’re getting all red again, Goldfishy~”

“I am  _ not _ .” Riddle snapped, smacking the other’s hand away. “I just don’t like to be touched.”

“Eh?” The teenager blinked a couple times before draping his arms around the kid’s shoulders to lean on him. “Don’t be so mean!” The ten-year-old stiffened underneath the other’s weight, his mind racing at the sudden drastic change of physical contact.  _ Is this a joke?  _ Having your mother’s murderer tease you about your physical boundaries was not something he’d expected to happen, but he had to admit--this was probably one of the least weird things that had happened to him recently. The boy shrugged the other off, probably a bit more violently than was safe, but the older of the two just laughed it off.

Riddle took a few tentative steps outside of his room, blue-grey eyes continually darting back towards the demon behind him to make sure he wasn’t going in for the kill. Even now he could see those teeth sinking into still-warm flesh, ripping it out with ease. Was there even really a possibility he wouldn’t end up another stain on the wall? Even if he somehow managed to survive long enough without angering the other to eat him despite his preference for adults, it was only a matter of time before he would get killed if he didn’t manage to escape this hell. 

When he stepped foot in the living room, he nodded slightly. It was, surprisingly, slightly cleaner than the night he’d been brought in. There were also things he hadn’t had time to notice in his panicked state--a small bookshelf, a kitchen that now looked used (for only his own meals, he assumed), and a small stack of board games tossed in a corner.

He immediately moved towards the bookshelf, glancing over the various different books. Some looked  _ old _ . Older than any books he had ever seen before. He couldn’t help but notice the titles had all been published in varying timelines and the other’s statement about hundreds of years echoed in his mind.

“Do you like to read?”

“Ye--” The redhead cut himself off, wondering if it truly was that  _ he  _ liked to read or if it were simply because it was the only thing outside of studying he was really allowed to do. “Yes, I do.” He paused for a moment and glanced back towards the taller boy. “Can I bring these in there with me?”

Floyd shrugged. “I don’t care. I don’t think I’ve touched them in years.”

“There’s plenty of books at my house.” Riddle tested the waters carefully. “I could bring you there if you need more.”

The demon moved quickly across the room, grabbing the boy’s chin roughly to force him to look up at him. A wicked smile formed on his lips, showing those horrible teeth. A laugh escaped his lips, sending shivers up Riddle’s spine. “Don’t tell me my little goldfish wants to go outside~” It was a warning. The redhead didn’t need the other to elaborate to know that he meant that there was no hope of ever going home. No hope of even stepping foot ten feet outside the doorway. 

“U-Understood.” 

Blue eyes averted the other’s gaze and the other finally let go, his demeanor completely changing once again. “Come see the rest of the house~”

The house didn’t seem particularly big and could have easily been toured by himself, but Floyd practically bounced back towards the hallway with the room he’d been locked in. The ten-year-old hesitated at first, wondering if this was some excuse to lock him back in the room after his potential escape plan ended so terribly. However, the other disappeared behind the wall, leaving the open door of his cage behind. 

He followed the other slowly, peering into each open door as he went. Another bathroom. A washer and dryer. And at the end of the hallway, the bedroom that Floyd was standing in with a proud expression. A part of Riddle wondered how he had managed to get such a modern home, away from prying eyes, with no one else living there. On the other hand, he didn’t really think he  _ wanted  _ to know.

All of those clothes that had been tossed about previously were now in a pile in the corner of the room. Otherwise, the room was rather bare. There were more books settled on a desk, a wardrobe, and the bed, much like the floor, was also messy and umade. However, Riddle stared at it for a long while, suddenly acutely aware of how sore he was from sleeping on the floor. 

“I cleaned up for you and everything~” Floyd beamed.

“Is that what you call this?” The younger of the two pressed his lips tightly together, already imagining how badly his mother would have yelled at him if he had left his room in such a state. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest as he realized just how much he missed her. Despite her being strict and sometimes overly harsh, he still loved her. He’d based his whole life around making her proud and suddenly there was a gaping hole in his heart.

The teenager didn’t seem to notice the change in him. He simply flopped onto his bed, the proud grin widening as he beamed towards the redhead. “Yep~ You should have seen it before.” Riddle didn’t even  _ want  _ to know if it had been even worse than how he’d seen the living room his first night.

The redhead shook his head slightly, taking the other in. It was moments like these where he seemed almost impossibly human. With his mouth closed, he even  _ looked  _ like a normal person. He wondered if he’d even passed him in town before, as he seemed to be getting food from  _ somewhere _ . “You’re really weird.” He finally stated, prompting the other to pout slightly.  _ Don’t do that. We’re not friends, that shouldn’t bother you.  _ “I’m going to go read.” 

Riddle turned on his heel, disappointment flooding over him as the other called out after him. “I’ll go with you!”” It took all of his might not to yell at the other, to reiterate that he wasn’t there to be friends with him. He was Floyd’s  _ captive _ and that should have meant that he’d at least have been able to avoid this weirdly clingy behavior. He could hear the other plopping on the couch as he glanced at the books, unfamiliar with all of them. Fingers ran along the spines, not even bothering to see what they were about before he pulled a random older book from the shelf. It wasn’t the oldest by far, but there were clear signs of wear that only time could bring.

He moved to sit on the couch, making sure to stay as far away from Floyd as possible. However, as soon as he cracked open the book, the demon slid underneath his arms, resting his head on the redhead’s lap. Riddle immediately tensed up, lips pressing into a fine line as he stared at the page, trying desperately to redirect his rage at something other than the person who could tear him open at a moment’s notice. His nostrils flared and he could feel the familiar heat of losing control of his temper boiling inside of him. The book snapped shut and blue eyes glared down at Floyd for a moment. Those mismatched eyes just stared back up at him, brows knit together in confusion at the sudden change of behavior. “Why are you doing this?!” The smaller of the two spat.

“Doing what?” The blue haired boy asked, genuine confusion lacing his voice.

“ _ This _ .” Riddle motioned towards the boy’s head in his lap.

“I just thought it’d be comfortable~” The explanation sent the child over the edge. He stood up quickly and he could hear the other whining in protest as he sat up.

“ _ Comfortable _ ?!” The redhead yelled, shaking his head in disbelief. “Do you think I care if you’re comfortable? I  _ told  _ you I don’t want you touching me!”

“You don’t have to yell, Goldfishy~” 

It occurred to Riddle that the other might not even realize why he was so mad at him. On top of being unused to physical affection in general, the person before him was the last person he wanted touching him. He shook his head, bile threatening to come up. “Stop calling me that! And why do you keep acting like we’re friends or something?! Have you forgotten you  _ kidnapped  _ me?! That you killed my mother?!”

The teenager stood up, digging his hands in his pockets as he moved closer to him. That confused expression shifted into something that made the younger of the two falter slightly. While he’d expected the other to threaten him once more, even maybe attack him then and there, his face contorted into a pained expression for a fraction of a second. But he’d seen it, and suddenly he was second guessing everything he had said. “I miss talking to people.”

“Then go  _ make  _ some friends!” The smaller of the two pointed towards the door. “You’re clearly capable of  _ not  _ eating someone, go act like a  _ normal  _ person and leave me alone!” A flash of that pained expression came back. 

“I think you need to watch your tongue, Goldfishy~” He hummed, leaning down a little so he could be at least  _ closer  _ to head level with the kid. Riddle knew he should be scared, that the other wasn’t above threatening him and would likely act on those threats, but there was something different about this. That almost bored expression didn’t meet his eyes.  _ Did he try making friends before?  _ There certainly  _ was  _ something that Floyd wasn’t willing to share that made him strike a nerve. 

That thought process alone had been enough to calm him down slightly. There was something he could potentially leverage over the other if he managed to get enough information out of him. That didn’t mean that the redhead was anywhere close to not being angry, but it manifested in a much calmer, contained anger. At least, until Floyd let out a chuckle. “You’re so cute when you’re angry~”

His heart nearly stopped. His hand still stung from the impact and even the demon seemed studden at the sudden slap to his cheek. His long fingers moved to rest on his cheek and he stood up straight once more. Riddle could feel his legs shaking, knowing that what he had just done was likely going to be the death of him. Something was brewing inside of the older boy and he moved to take a tentative step backwards. He had to get ready to run. Even if there was no chance of him outrunning the demon, he wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Instead, the tense silence between them was broken by Floyd pointing towards the room Riddle had been locked in before. “ _ Go _ .” His voice was sharp, far angrier than any of his previous threats had been.  _ This  _ must have been the Floyd that killed whoever’s clothes he was wearing. The redhead nodded, rushing towards the safety of his room. As soon as he closed the door, he stood in the center of the room, watching the doorway with the book clutched to his chest. He awaited the other, mentally preparing to push past him if possible. But nothing came. Not even the sound of the lock sliding into place. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a longer chapter! Displays more of how their relationship is evolving so it's a little slow. Kinda cute though, even though Floyd's a horrible murderer. But no murder in this chapter! No murder for a few chapters, really.

The road was incredibly dark. Riddle hugged himself to keep warm, his breath showing in the cold evening. Blue eyes darted through the rustling of the trees, expecting those hungry eyes that were always lurking around the corner. But he’d made it this far—he was going  _ home _ . Soon he’d be able to throw open the doors, bury himself in his dusty bed, and pretend that Floyd had just been some horrible nightmare. For a moment he considered maybe even leaving. Riddle could pack a small back and just keep going. Even if the other didn’t know where he lived, it’d be safer. Maybe he could even find a nice place near the beach.

The sound of footsteps tore the redhead from his thoughts and his eyes darted in front of him to take in the person for him. She was short, slender, hair pulled up into a tight up-do. Riddle’s heart jumped to his throat and he sprinted towards the woman, tears forming in his eyes.

“ _ Mom! _ ” The boy grabbed onto his mother’s wrist, though she didn’t turn to face him. “Mom, it’s  _ me _ ! It’s Riddle!”

“Riddle?” Her voice cracked and she turned her head slowly towards her son, revealing rotted flesh, so latticed he could see worms moving underneath. Her other hand moved to grasp his wrist tightly, causing him to yelp out in pain as her nails dug into his skin. “ _ Riddle?!”  _ That shriek had only been reserved from when she’d been mad at him for sneaking out with Trey and Che’nya. It wasn’t just angry—you could hear the tones of betrayal laying underneath it.

“Y-You’re hurting me.” He tried to yank his hand away but she only gripped tighter. 

“ _ You’re  _ hurting?!” She yelled, now fully turning to face him. “ _ You  _ didn’t save me, Riddle! Why didn’t you save me?!”

“I-I wanted to, mom!” His heart was pounding inside of his chest as he desperately tried to free himself, tears welling in his eyes.

“You did  _ nothing! _ ”

“That’s not true!”

“ _ Absolutely nothing!”  _ His whole body shook under the pressure of her words and the guilt that he still carried. Riddle let out a loud sob, shaking his head. “Why didn’t you save me, Riddle?!”

“I couldn’t!”

“You didn’t even try!”

“He would have killed me too!” His voice echoed through the forest, sending some birds that had been sleeping fleeing in a panic. “I-I knew you were dead. I thought maybe I could get away.” His voice was quieter, but it was still clear he was panicking. 

“And what good did that do you?” The woman moved to caress Riddle with her free hand, fingertips completely rotted away to have her bones dragging across his skin. “You’re still going to die.”

“No! I got out! I’m going home!”

“ _ Goldfish!” _

“Wh-what…?” His mother finally let go and the redheaded boy took a cautious step back. She’d never called him by that nickname before.

Then again, “ _ Goldfish!”  _

Riddle’s eyes fluttered open, revealing the teal haired demon he’d been living with. He shot away, heart still beating quickly inside of his chest. “You were yelling.” The young boy wiped at his sweatsoaked forehead, slowly gathering his surroundings once more. He didn’t escape. His mother wasn’t haunting him. And for the past year, he’d been living with the person who had murdered her. His breathing began to even out, eyes darting around the room before finally settling on the person before him.

“I—” He paused for a moment, still orienting himself. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

Floyd shook his head. “Your mom again?”

Riddle nodded and the teenager moved closer, wrapping his arms around the boy to pull him to his chest. The redhead pressed his lips into a fine line, trying to push the other off. Though, as always when the demon came to wake him from his nightmares, it only made him hug the other tighter. “It’ll be alright, Goldfishy~” 

“Let  _ go _ !” He struggled more, but the taller boy leaned into him until the both of them fell back on the floor as he giggled. Sometimes, Riddle really took his temporary caretaker to be more of a child than he was. He stopped struggling, finally deciding it was better to let Floyd get it out of his system. 

After a couple minutes, he finally did loosen his grip. “Help me make your breakfast.”

It was a system they had started after a particularly bad dinner. He’d offered to cook for himself, but the demon had rejected the notion. He hadn’t stated why, though Riddle had assumed that it was because of the easy access to knives. The two walked into the kitchen and blue eyes watched as the other cracked eggs into a bowl.

“I can make my own food, you know.”

“You’ve mentioned that.” Floyd smiled, nodding down towards the boy. “Do you even know how to cook?”

“Of course I do.” Not much, really. There were just a couple meals he’d learned to cook for himself so he could take care of himself when his mother was busy working. The scrambled eggs, as Floyd was making now, were one of those meals he knew.

“I don’t think so, Goldfish~” He teased, crinkling his nose in the eleven-year-old’s direction. 

Riddle rolled his eyes in response. “I don’t see why you insist on cooking.” The demon seasoned the eggs with salt and pepper before scooping some eggs on the spatula, holding it out towards the redhead. He took a bite of the eggs, thinking a moment as he chewed it carefully. “More salt.” This was where the problem with him cooking lie—Floyd couldn’t taste the food he was making before giving it to Riddle. They’d started this routine where he’d wait with him until something was ready for tasting, but he found it a waste of time. Besides, he didn’t really want to spend more time with the teenager than he needed to. “Seriously, why do you insist on it?”

The teal haired boy shrugged slightly, putting in more salt as directed. “I like cooking.”

“You can’t even eat the food you make.” 

Floyd chuckled. “I used to, though~” The boy blinked in response, brows furrowing as he looked the boy up and down. This wasn’t the first time that he’d said something weirdly cryptic about possibly being human.

“Must you always do that?”

“Do what, Goldfishy~?”

“Act as if you’ve  _ had  _ to cook before. Or even just were a normal person.”

“Hm~?” Odd-eyes peered down at him for a moment and Riddle could have sworn he saw his normal, happy expression falter slightly. “What makes you think I haven’t eaten human food?”

“Why would a demon need to eat?” 

Floyd couldn’t help but burst out laughing, displaying those pearly fangs that had torn apart his mother. When the laugh finally tapered out, the boy grabbed a plate and scooped the eggs onto it before handing it towards the redhead. “Because I’m not a demon, silly~”

Brows knit tightly together as the other walked past him to plop himself on the couch. After a moment of confusion, the boy followed to sit on the opposite end of the couch. “What’s  _ that  _ supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m not a demon!”

“You know what I mean, Floyd.” 

He smiled, staring at Riddle as he took a big bite of his eggs. His legs bounced slightly, obviously mulling something over in his mind. “I was a human once too.” The younger boy nearly dropped his fork in response. It was hard enough to believe in demons, but to have the person before him state that he was human once was even harder to believe. However, Riddle stayed quiet, simply blinking at the other boy to continue. “It’s...kind of a curse, really. I’m not dead, but I’m not alive.” He couldn’t help but notice just how serious Floyd’s voice had gotten, his stare focusing elsewhere as he recalled. The teenager paused for a long while, his gaze finally moving towards the bookshelf. He stood up and odd-eyes looked over the books for a moment, pulling out the thin book he’d been looking for before handing it towards the younger of the two. “Jikininki.” Blue-grey eyes glanced down at the book of short stories, a little concerned by the other’s strangely serious behavior. He took the book carefully, setting down his half-eaten plate of eggs to flip through the book. “It’s the closest thing I’ve found, but I stopped looking a long time ago.”

“Why would you stop looking?”

Floyd gave him a curious glance. “Why wouldn’t I? I searched for like a hundred years.”

“But if it’s a curse, doesn’t that mean you could probably...uncurse yourself?”

“I don’t think so, Goldfishy.” He said, offering the redhead a sad smile. Riddle didn’t really understand, but there was something eerie about Floyd when he got like this. As much as he hated the impulsive, loud version of him, he hated this dreary version even more. 

A silence settled between them as the younger boy finished his breakfast, glancing over periodically to the forlorn demon—no, ghoul—by his side. While he didn’t know much about the supernatural, he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that the person beside him might have once  _ actually  _ been human. He might have had family, friends. A plan for the future that didn’t involve eating humans. He wondered just how terrifying it must have been when the hunger for human flesh set in. Watching the people he cared about age from a distance if he hadn’t eaten them first. 

He had to admit, this was the first time he’d felt pity for Floyd.

Riddle grabbed his plate and went to clean it, picking up some of the other’s clothes he had just lazily flung about the living room on the way. He took note of some blood on the shirt, though he’d gotten used to that months ago. “I told you to soak your shirts if you get blood on them, Floyd.” He called out, though the other didn’t respond. The boy stared at the back of the other’s head as he moved back through the living room, then down the hallway to put the clothes in the bathroom’s sink to soak.

When he walked back, Floyd had turned to face the hallway, though he still had a distant expression. “Goldfish.” The redhead raised a brow in response, unsure how to handle the teenager during his depressive episodes. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

Riddle blinked in surprise, blue eyes glancing through the window towards the outdoors. “Is this a joke?” He asked, voice shaking slightly. He hadn’t been allowed outdoors since the day he was kidnapped. He’d asked again when it snowed, but the teenager had insisted that he was never going to let him out again. 

“No.” Floyd glanced out the window as well. “It’s a nice day.” Just like that. As if he’d never forbidden him going outside.

The smaller boy could feel tears stinging at his eyes and he nodded in response. The taller boy stood up, practically dragging his feet to the door to hold it open for the younger of the two. He stared at the other for a moment, still weighing in his mind if it was a trap or not. Though, he had to admit that in the past year there hadn’t really  _ been  _ any traps. Living with Floyd was relatively easy, even with all the rules set in place for him. No going outside. He had to be locked up when Floyd wasn’t there (and he  _ was  _ there most of the time). There’d been no tricks that would get him eaten. Though, the other seemed to do his fair share of  _ normal  _ teasing and pranking. “Come on, Goldfishy!” He whined.

Riddle wasn’t going to wait for this opportunity to pass him by. He moved quickly onto the deck, eyes squinting slightly as his eyes adjusted to the bright light. The door closed behind him and he glanced back towards the teenager who had a lazy smile on his lips. The lanky boy dug his hands into his pockets, moving onto the grass in front of the redhead. “You can go outside with my supervision.” He finally stated once the younger of the two fell in line next to him. “We can even get you a little garden started if you want~”

Blue eyes stared up at him in wonder as they walked, realizing the other was doing it more as a tour of the property and the woods around it. There was a small clearing, though it certainly would have been hard to find. He wondered if anyone knew it had been long since abandoned. He wondered how close he was to his own home. “Are you sure?” It was a strange question, but he was afraid Floyd might change his mind. 

The teal haired boy’s mood seemed to be picking up a bit and he beamed down towards him. “Of course~” He wrapped his arms around Riddle’s shoulders, putting a good chunk of his weight on the smaller boy. “I wanna see my goldfish make a little rose garden~”

Of course. He shouldn’t have expected Floyd to have any other motivation that wasn’t selfish. He placed his hand on Floyd’s face that was resting over his shoulder, pushing him away. “If you think I’m going to plant a rose garden for  _ your  _ viewing pleasure, you’re sorely mistaken.”

Floyd whined. “Then what would you plant?”

Riddle pondered this for a moment. “Strawberries.” It was one of the foods he’d missed the most but he never bothered to ask for it when the other went to town to get food for him. He didn’t want to be seen as more trouble than he was worth so he’d just...not ask for  _ anything _ . Whatever Floyd brought home with him was what he’d eat. “I really miss strawberries.”

The older of the two relieved some of his body weight, though he hugged the child a bit tighter. “You coulda told me you wanted strawberries.”

Riddle shrugged, though it had a severely limited range. “I’m not going to bother you with trivial things like  _ strawberries. _ ”

* * *

The beginning of his little garden was rough. Floyd helped as much as he could but neither of them had had much experience with gardening. Strawberries, tomatoes, some herbs. While he’d never really thought about gardening before, it was a nice change from the year he had spent either sleeping or devouring each book in the house. He was spending even more time outside than before his mother died.

_ Not “died”. Was murdered _ . It was an important distinction. 

Riddle stared at the doorway of his room, still embarrassingly bare, but at least now the opposite wall had been cleaned of the blood. It had stained some of the paint permanently, but it was tolerable now. Whoever this  _ shrimp  _ was no longer haunted him at night. 

The door unlocked and the younger of the boy stood up quickly, ready to go outside. Floyd stuck his head in the gap, a wide grin on his face. Riddle gave him a suspicious glance, knowing full well that the other was up to something.

“Close your eyes, Goldfishy~” 

“If you’re playing another trick on me, Floyd.” His words were a warning.

“So suspicious~” The grin grew. Certainly, the ghoul was proud of himself for something. “So sit down and close your eyes!”

Despite his nerves, Riddle did as he was told. He heard the other’s footsteps as he moved into the room, finally sitting in front of him. One of Floyd’s hands moved to cover Riddle’s eyes, though he wasn’t peeking to begin with. “Since you’ve been so good~” He removed his hand and Riddle opened his eyes, staring down at the strawberry tart between them. 

He felt his heart immediately drop to the pit of his stomach. “Since you said you missed strawberries~” Floyd continued talking, but he could no longer make out the words. He could only remember sitting outside of Trey’s family’s bakery with Che’nya. He remembered them laughing and smiling. He remembered how cross his mother had been when he got home too late. 

Tears stung at his eyes and the muffled voice of the other stopped. His bottom lip quivered as he stared down at the perfect shine on the strawberries. “Did you get this in town?” His voice was weak. 

Floyd blinked a couple times, putting a hand on Riddle’s shoulder. “Golfish...are you okay?” 

“Answer the question, Floyd.” He pleaded.

“Uh...yeah.”

“Was there a boy there? Green hair? Taller than me?” He couldn’t stop the tears. The teenager thought for a moment before shaking his head.

“There was a man there with green hair. No kids though.”  _ Trey’s dad _ . He nodded, shoulders curling inward as his nails dug into the carpet beneath him. “Goldfish…” Floyd’s words were laced with guilt and he pushed the tart to the side, pulling Riddle into his chest to hold him closer. Unlike with the nightmares, he didn’t try to pull away. He gripped onto the ghoul’s shirt, his whole body shaking as he cried into the other. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being so late with all my updates everyone! I'm in school and this quarter is really kicking my ass. I busted this chapter out and hopefully I'll be able to get more out soon. I'm definitely working on other stuff but it's just been S O S L O W. Anyways, I thought I'd have fun with Floyd being alive for as long as he has so here you go.

His whole body ached. The cough had started during dinner the night before and had only grown. The boy curled up in his blanket on the floor, burying his head as he whined in agony. Riddle’s throat was raw, his diaphragm sore, and the growing fever had him sweating despite how cold he felt. 

He wished his mother was there. Even if she was overly strict at times, even _cruel_ at other times, he missed the way she’d dote on him when he was sick. It was a part of her job, not only as a mother, but as a health professional as well. But those were some of the only times she was truly tender with him. She’d bring a damp towel, wiping the sweat from his brow as her fingers ran through his hair. Sometimes she’d even hum a little tune as she did so to calm him. 

Instead, he was alone. The previous night Floyd had almost seemed wary of his sickness and hadn’t bothered to check in on him. Riddle didn’t really blame him for that, though. The years were ticking by and the now twelve-year-old was getting closer and closer to becoming the other’s dinner. And while there were times when the ghoul was _truly_ kind, such as trying to spoil him with clothing and bringing treats and candies from town, he was acutely aware that someday he’d be eaten. It was likely Floyd didn’t want to put too much energy into a relatively short-term investment.

The familiar sound of the lock on his door echoed in the nearly-empty bedroom, though he didn’t turn to look at it. Instead, he curled up more, not wanting to deal with the headache that was the teenager while he _already_ had a headache. “Goldfish?” Floyd whispered and the redhead gave a grunt in response. “Goldfish are you okay?” He could hear the pattering of the other’s feet as he tried to quietly move across the room before kneeling at the younger boy’s side. A hand rested on his side, though it quickly retracted once another fit of coughs overtook him. “D-Do you need anything?” Riddle didn’t understand why the other’s voice was shaking.

“Water.” His voice was hoarse. Floyd stood up and was much less quiet as he rushed out of the room. He could hear the sound of water running from the kitchen, prompting him to sit up on the floor. The teenager rushed back, water spilling over the lip of the cup as he knelt back down next to him. The redhead gulped the water down, blue-grey eyes examining the concern on the other’s face.

Another coughing fit shot pain through his entire body before he took the water from the other, chugging it down as quickly as he could. He glanced towards the ghoul once more, brows furrowing as he noted the glossy sheen on his eyes. “ _What_?” He spat out, setting the empty glass next to him on the floor.

“A-Are you going to die?” 

Riddle blinked a couple times, staring at the teenager before him. His head tilted slightly, giving him a confused expression. “What makes you think I would _die_?”

“It’s just…” He paused for a moment, lips pressing tightly together. “I’ve heard about...consumption, you know? And I knew someone who died from whooping cough a long time ago.” Floyd shifted uncomfortably, unable to meet the younger boy’s eyes.

The redhead couldn’t help but laugh, which only resulted in another coughing fit. He winced slightly, annoyed by how badly his lungs ached. “I’m not going to die, you idiot.” He couldn’t help the amusement in his voice. 

The teal-haired boy perked up, excitedly leaning forward. “Are you _sure_?”

Riddle watched the other for a long moment, taking in the genuine concern in his expression. With how long he’d lived there, he couldn’t say he _hated_ the other as much as he _should_ have. There was always the vague threat of being eaten. Hell, he _still_ had nightmares about his mother. But despite that, there was a kindness there that made him wonder if this concern was for _him_ or for Floyd’s future meal.

He shook his head slowly, pressing his lips into a fine line. “Of course I’m not going to die.” The other’s lips curled into a wide smile, revealing those sharp teeth that were capable of doing _so_ much damage. “ _However,”_ The boy said sharply, crossing his arms over his chest. “I need medicine from town.”

The older of the two blinked a couple times before nodding, rushing out of the room for a moment only to return with a pen and a pad of paper. The boy scribbled down a couple medicines—some for a cold, some for the flu. Even some painkillers so that he could hopefully take the edge off of the soreness in his body and keep the fever in check. He ripped the paper off, handing it towards the other. Floyd read the list a couple times, trying to commit the names of the medicine to memory. 

“I’ll be back soon, okay Goldfish?” His voice was still laced with worry. The ghoul stood up, bolting out of the room and closing the door behind him. Riddle could hear the weight of his footsteps as he ran out the door, forcing an amused chuckle from his lips. For someone who seemed to have been alive as long as Floyd had, he really was an idiot sometimes.

The twelve-year-old laid back down on the floor, pulling the blankets just under his chin as he closed his eyes, still shaking from the fever. However, blue-grey eyes bolted open once more as he bolted back up, realizing there was _something_ missing. Riddle got to his feet and pulled the blanket around his shoulders before moving towards the door, hands shaking as his fingers rested gently on the doorknob. 

His heart was beating inside of his chest. There hadn’t been the familiar sound of the lock clicking into place. The boy listened for a long moment, trying to hear any sound from the other side of the door just in case it had been a test and Floyd had snuck back into the house. But even after a few minutes of listening, he couldn’t hear anything. The doorknob turned, and unlike it had every other time, it swung open without assistance from Floyd from the outside.

His lower lip trembled, tears welling inside of his eyes as he pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders. He took a tentative step forward, glancing through the hallways _just in case_ . The older boy had never really tested him before, but this was something _completely_ new. Still, there were no sounds or movement throughout the house.

Riddle rushed towards the front door, opening it to reveal the bright fall morning. Hot tears rolled down his face and the boy took a couple steps onto the deck, ignoring the added coldness. He could almost hear his mother in the back of his head urging him to run. And he did, for a moment. His bare feet hurried into the grass towards the property line where the forest started once more, but stopped only after a couple feet as another coughing fit forced him to double over. He glanced back towards the house, the door still wide open. Then, he glanced back towards the property line, lips pressing into a fine line.

The truth was he _didn’t_ know the way back to town. He didn’t know how long he’d be wandering the forest alone while sick. He’d told Floyd that he wouldn’t die, but this was certainly a good way of making that more likely. The tears felt warm against his skin, though he brought the blanket up to wipe at them as he turned his back towards the forest, instead moving towards the little garden he had set up to water the plants. Despite everything within him telling him to run, the boy had made it back inside, towards the room he slept in, and onto the hard floor once more. 

* * *

He awoke to the sound of voices outside, confusion cutting through the dreariness within him at the unfamiliar one. Riddle sat up as the door swung open, revealing Floyd and an older man he didn’t recognize. Blue eyes darted towards the teenager whose mismatched eyes watched the man closely as he kneeled down. The boy could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Not _once_ had Floyd brought anyone back to where they lived. 

The man opened the bag he had brought with him filled with various instruments that a doctor would have when making a home visit. First, he pulled out the thermometer and like he had so many times before with his mother, he obliged. Everything within him wanted to yell at the man to run, but he _knew_ it was already too late. The jikininki was _fast_ , and this man certainly couldn’t outrun him. The only option Riddle had was to try to appeal to Floyd.

It didn’t take long to get a diagnosis. It was just as he had expected—the flu. The man had brought few medicines with him to ease the symptoms and left them by Riddle.

“Really, you should be getting rest on something a bit more comfortable.” The doctor stated.

“We just moved in.” Floyd said quickly. “He outgrew his bed.” The man didn’t bother to look back at him, instead focusing on the smaller boy in front of him. The boy could tell that the man was asking something of him that he couldn’t say out loud. _Are you being mistreated?_ He wished he could say _something_. His body began to shake and he wasn’t sure if it was from fear or the fever.

The doctor’s brows furrowed after a moment as he took in the preteen. “What?” The redhead asked.

“Sorry.” The doctor chuckled slightly, shaking his head. “You just look like someone I used to know.” Riddle’s heart fell to the pit of his stomach. “What’s your name?”

He bit down hard on the inside of his cheek, knowing full well if the other figured out who he was that there was absolutely no way of saving him. “Harry.” He said quickly, hoping it sounded as natural as he wanted it to. Blue eyes glanced towards Floyd, taking note of the dangerous, hungry expression on his eyes.

“Ah, well, Harry.” He said, groaning a bit as he got to his feet once more. “You’ll be feeling better in no time.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Floyd offered.

“Wait, Floyd! Hold on for a moment.” 

The teenager held the door open and the doctor exited the door. He offered the older man a smile, careful not to reveal his teeth. “I’ll be there in a moment.” And with that he shut the door.

“Do _not_ hurt him.” Riddle’s voice was sharp and his hands gripped the blanket too tightly. 

The teal-haired boy crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head a little. “You heard him.” He said quietly. “He knows too much.” The redhead didn’t want to ask if he would have killed the doctor even before he had insinuated that he had known Riddle’s mother. 

“Floyd _please_. He’s not going to tell anyone. He doesn’t even know my name!” He pleaded, feeling tears sting once more at his eyes. The taller boy moved across the room and brushed his sweat soaked hair from his forehead before placing a kiss on the top of Riddle’s head. 

“I can’t let him take you away.” He smiled. The younger boy tried to reach out and grab Floyd’s leg to grab him, but the other was too fast. He opened the door once more and smiled back at the smaller boy for a moment. Riddle could see the older man behind the teenager and he wanted so _desperately_ to yell out towards him, but the words got caught in his throat. Floyd shut the door behind him and the familiar click of the lock followed.

The silence felt like forever before the other man’s panic began to fill the otherwise quiet home. _W-wait!_ He screamed. There was a loud crash. _Stop!_ He yelled once more, then the shrill sound of him screaming. If he hadn’t wanted to throw up before, Riddle _certainly_ did now. The screams grew quieter and quieter as the pain consumed the man and, as he heard the sound of bones snapping, he considered that it was a mercy that Floyd had killed his mother _before_ eating her. He could still hear the random sounds of the ghoul eating him—his shirt ripping, more bones snapping. This man was dead and there was nothing he could have done to save him. The redhead laid back down on the floor, bringing his hands to his ears to try to block out the now faint sounds as he began to cry once more.

* * *

Even when the coughing fits had overtaken him, he still felt numb. _He_ was the reason that this man had died. If he hadn’t gotten sick, Floyd would have never sought him out. If he didn’t look so much like his mother, the doctor wouldn’t have asked any questions. The click of the door unlocking filled the room. He wasn’t sure how long it had been since the man had died, but it felt like days.

“Goldfish...?” Floyd called out quietly. 

Riddle brought the blanket over his head. “Go _away_ Floyd.”

The teal-haired boy ignored his warning and moved to sit next to him on the floor. A hand rested on his shoulder, which the younger boy jolted away from his touch. “You didn’t run.” He said quietly.

His bottom lip quivered, but he was too _tired_ to cry. He’d done so much of that today. Riddle thought back to the forest calling out to him, beckoning for him to run away. He wondered how there had been a time that day where he had considered that maybe he _didn’t_ hate Floyd. The younger boy curled up into a ball, back facing the other. “I should have.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.” Floyd’s voice was still quiet and he tried once more to touch Riddle, though the redhead jolted to sit up once more. His eyes had widened slightly at the sudden movement, though his hand pulled away from the younger boy as he took in the death glare being shot towards him.

“I don’t _care_ if you’re glad!” The preteen yelled. “That man did _nothing_ wrong!” 

The ghoul’s face grew stern. “He would have taken you away.”

“So _what_ ?!” He yelled. “Eat me, then! Stop being so _obsessed_ with waiting until I’m older!” The younger of the two stuck his arm out, holding it right in front of the other’s lips. “Just go ahead and eat me!”

The expression on the other’s face contorted into a pained expression as he gently grabbed Riddle’s wrist, guiding it back down to the floor once more. The hand then moved to wrap around the top of his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m not going to do that.”

The younger boy’s free hand moved to slap the other across the cheek as hard as he could, mismatched eyes widening as he took in the impact. Riddle just wanted this to _end_. He thought of the blood-stained wall, now faded almost completely after hours and hours of scrubbing, and how he had mentioned that the other kid had pushed him too far. If that’s what he had to do to end it, he would. No one else would die for him.

Floyd’s hand left Riddle’s to brush along where he’d been slapped. Though instead of getting mad like Riddle had wanted, he simply stood up, expression now blank as he stared down towards the boy. “I’m tired of this.” His voice sounded bored to tears and the younger boy stared up at him, heart in his throat as he wondered if this was really his last moments.

However, that anxiety dissipated as the taller of the two turned on his heels, slamming the door behind him before locking it. Riddle stared at the door for a long while, hating himself for not leaving when he had the chance. He laid back down once more, still staring as he contemplated his options.

It was likely that Floyd would make that mistake again. He was normally too goofy, too _passionate_ about practically anything that he’d definitely get too excited about something and leave the door unlocked again. But how long would that be? Six months? A year? Two?

No—he’d keep being Floyd’s good little boy. He’d gain his trust. They’d laugh together, he’d even let him be touchier like he wanted. And then, when either the teenager forgot to lock it again or he gained more freedom, he’d kill him. Even if it took years, Riddle would make sure and Floyd Leech would never get a chance to harm another person again. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, I heard you guys wanted F l o y d l o r e ?

Time was strange here. Sometimes it would feel like months had passed when it was only a few weeks. Other times, a year would pass by in an instant. Instead he began to pay attention to seasons. He’d watch the snow begin to melt and the leaves turn color. Take note of when the crops in his small garden began to ripen or die. His small strawberry garden had turned into raspberries, potatoes, and blueberries. Floyd would continually bring home roses insisting that they suited him until he’d finally relented and started surrounding the house with them. It seemed ironic since it seemed he hadn’t even known his first name, let alone his last.

Their relationship had stabilized once again now that Riddle had made it his goal to gain the other’s trust, though he wasn’t particularly happy about it. Despite new freedoms, it was harder to get alone time. When he was reading, Floyd lay down and curl onto his lap. The ghoul would insist on helping Riddle in his garden. He’d even relented and begun teaching him how to cook—at least that meant decently free access to the knives. If he could pinpoint a weakness, he’d make sure to use them.

With these freedoms came more chances to escape, but he’d already made up his mind. Despite the fact that he had free reign of both the indoors and outdoors during the daytime even when the ghoul was away, he wouldn’t run. His mom deserved better.  _ He  _ deserved better. There was no way he could let the chance go, even if it took years. Even if he died for it.

But he needed  _ clues _ . Fingertips ran along the plastered walls as he walked down the hallway towards the older boy’s room. He’d been reluctant to go in there alone—often too afraid that Floyd would return early and catch him snooping. That he’d figure out that his only reason for staying was to kill him and would simply eat him in the process. But what did that matter? Each day he spent here was only prolonging the inevitable. 

Still, the redhead paused at the closed door, tapping lightly at the wall as he took in the grain of the wood as he took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself.  _ He went to town. He won’t be back for at least an hour _ . But the fear returned:  _ what if he forgot something? What if he gets hungry on the way and has to come back to clean up?  _ Not that either of these things happened particularly often, but they  _ had  _ happened before. Riddle could feel sweat building up on his hands, but he turned the handle of the door to reveal the normal messy room that Floyd couldn’t seem to keep clean.

Surprisingly, the nervousness washed away upon seeing everything tossed around. Even after all these years, Riddle was still surprised by how  _ normal  _ Floyd seemed on paper. His clothes would be tossed on the ground, bed a mess, and although the room was scarcely decorated, it still had a certain  _ human  _ charm to it. It made him less nervous to search for clues. 

The boy started at the bookshelf, glancing over the different books showing varying ages. He didn’t expect to find anything here—Floyd usually would let him peruse through these when he was home and nothing seemed particularly out of the ordinary. He’d already read the book that Floyd had given him about the jinkininki as well, but that hadn’t helped either. These cannibalistic creatures seemed far too elusive to be written about extensively, but there had to be  _ something _ . 

Riddle let out a sigh as he shook his head, finding nothing that seemed particularly interesting. He turned his attention towards the small desk, sitting in the chair as he opened the different drawers he hadn’t had the courage to do in front of the teal-haired boy.

And there  _ was  _ something interesting.

As one of the drawers slid open, blue-grey eyes fell upon an old leather bound book. Eyebrows knit tightly together as he took in the impressions on the cover—the gold leaf of “FL” nearly completely gone. Riddle pulled out the book, carefully opening it up as he took in the handwriting on the fragile paper. 

_ I’m beginning to forget things _ .

_ My name’s Floyd Leech. I had a twin named Jade and a friend named Azul.  _

Shivers ran up Riddle’s spine, blue eyes glancing back towards the door to make sure that the ghoul wasn’t lingering in the doorway. Even with just those three sentences, he felt like he was reading something he wasn’t supposed to know about. Floyd never brought up his past and usually skirted around Riddle’s questions if he pried too much. But he wasn’t surprised to find a journal like this—if it was true that Floyd had been alive for hundreds of years, how  _ could  _ he be expected to remember everything that happened to him?

_ I feel empty now. I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t know what was happening and I  _ ate  _ him. I killed my own fucking brother. I didn’t know what was happening _ .

Riddle’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. Despite everything, he couldn’t help but feel pity for the younger Floyd Leech who had written this. He’d only known the boy who’d spent centuries alone—who’d gotten used to killing people in order to survive. He’d never stopped to think about how frightening it would have been to begin turning into one of those monsters and he could feel the panic of the words scrawled into the paper. Even though it seemed as if this had been written a long time after given the fact that he went into great detail describing the physical appearances of his friend, his twin brother, his parents, the person who had sat somewhere and written these things down felt  _ guilty _ for what he’d done.

Brows knit tightly together as he flipped through the journal. Most of it was about his life before he’d turned into a ghoul, it seemed—from a crime family. Jade and Floyd both seemed like they were rough around the edges and were following in their parents footsteps, but they had just been kids. But it made sense—the book Floyd had given him before had described jikininki as people who had been corrupted by the evil things they had done. But why Floyd and not Jade? Just to torment the twins even more? There didn’t seem to be an answer hidden within the pages.

But there were  _ other  _ answers. Not about weaknesses like he was hoping, but he’d finally found mention of the boy who had lived with him before Riddle had gotten there. The boy whose blood  _ still _ stained the walls, albeit a lot fainter than it had now that he’d tried to wash it off. He’d been much older than Riddle, which made sense given how the clothes had hung off of him, but there was something very different about the two of them—Shrimpy, as Floyd like to call him, agreed to live with him on his own. Apparently he’d been confused and wandering around the woods half-starved. Memory of who he was seemed to have disappeared and Floyd had taken him in. 

And then another guilty entry describing how he hadn’t wanted to kill him. He’d been trying to be  _ better _ . To set a good example. But Shrimpy was crying, had remembered who he was, and wanted to go home. And he was just  _ so  _ hungry.

Riddle felt a cold shiver run up his spine as he realized any entries about him would be after this. His lips pressed into a fine line as he fought himself on if he wanted to turn the page or not—if it held any clue about if Floyd knew that Riddle wanted to kill him or  _ when  _ Floyd was planning on killing him. Because the main difference he saw with Shrimpy and Jade was that he didn’t  _ want  _ to kill them. Floyd brought Riddle back explicitly to kill him. The redhead let out a defeated sigh, turning the page to find that there was hardly any mention of him. There was far less detail about him than even Shrimpy. He’d killed a boy’s mother and taken the boy home. He had red hair, blue eyes, was really young. Despite the years that they’d been together, the boy couldn’t help but feel his heart fall to the pit of his stomach.

There were no details to need to remember about Riddle Rosehearts because he was livestock.

A heavy feeling washed over him and the boy closed the journal, carefully placing it back in the drawer he had found it in. All energy had been drained from his body and he knew that there was no surviving this horror. He wasn’t like Jade or Shrimp. He’d barely had more description than his dead mother. Hope of finding a weakness was draining from him and the young boy felt tears stinging at his eyes. Standing up from the desk, his eyes fell to the bed.

Floyd still didn’t trust him to wander around during the evening, which meant he was still stuck sleeping on the floor. Sometimes he’d be able to get a nap on the couch, but more often than not, the older boy would try to curl up on the small couch with him, making him uncomfortable enough that he no longer felt tired. But he’d forgotten just how good a  _ bed  _ felt. It felt like the heaviness inside of him was causing him to sink into the bed and despite knowing that he needed to get up in case Floyd found him there, he pulled the covers over him.

Riddle awoke to the feeling of an arm pulling him tighter against someone. Brows furrowed as he glanced down, taking in the familiar sight of Floyd’s blankets as he remembered dozing off after his particularly daunting reading. The redhead sat up quickly, causing Floyd to whine and nuzzle into the boy’s hip. “I’m sleeeeepy, Goldfish.”

This wasn’t particularly what he had expected to happen if the older boy found him in his room, but he also didn’t  _ not  _ expect it. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have fallen asleep here.”

The older boy nuzzled against him a little bit more, but mismatched eyes opened and stared directly in front of him, a pout on his lips. “You can nap here.”

_ So you can crawl in and smell your meal? I don’t think so _ . “I’ve got my own room. Plus the couch is plenty comfortable.” 

The redhead tried to get up, but Floyd pulled him back down. Another pout formed on his lips and he finally glanced up towards the younger boy. “I was afraid you'd left when I didn't see you in your room.”

Riddle had to do what he always did now—play the good little boy. A hand moved to run through teal locks, nails running gently through his hair. “I said I’m not going to leave.”

A sleepy smile formed on the other’s lips and he pointed towards a large bag in the corner. “I got you presents.” This really  _ did  _ catch him off guard. Brows knit together once more and when he tried to get up, this time the ghoul allowed it. The boy tiptoed over towards the bag, peeking in to see various clothes. “You’re getting bigger. I thought you’d want your own clothes now.”

It’s true—the majority of the clothes he wore were still the other boy’s. The older boy would bring back some things for him if they didn’t really work on him, but the majority of his clothes were still a dead boy’s. Riddle plucked out a button up sweater, folding it over in his hands. A genuine smile formed across his lips as he looked back towards the other boy. “Thank you, Floyd.”

He nodded a little before yawning. “Do you wanna nap more, Goldifshy?”

Riddle shook his head. “No. I’m going to go put these away.” 

The younger boy got to his feet, but before he could walk out the door, Floyd’s voice caught his attention once more. “Hey, Goldfishy? Do you wanna go hunting with me tonight?”

The younger boy blinked a couple times, staring in front of him in shock as he tried to imagine passing the treeline that surrounded their small home to go out there. It hadn’t been particularly uncommon for him to do when he was younger with his mom, but now it seemed like such a foreign idea. He glanced down at Floyd, trying to tell if it were a trick. But, as per usual, it seemed it wasn’t. “...sure, I suppose.” The teal-haired boy smiled into the pillow he was hugging now that Riddle was returning to his room and Riddle shifted his weight awkwardly before closing the door behind him.

* * *

Floyd beamed at him wearing the button up sweater and a pair of pants that he’d gotten Riddle from town. He’d been slightly worried about snags, but the air was getting colder and it wasn’t as if he had much else to keep him warm. “Goldfishy~! You look so cute!”

The redhead crossed his arms over his chest. “Hardly.”

“You do!” The older of the two grabbed his hands, practically dragging him to the door. “Let’s go~”

In all honesty, Riddle wasn’t sure  _ why  _ he was going. It wasn’t as if he  _ wanted  _ to see Floyd kill another person. But there was something in his mind that had hoped that maybe he could distract him long enough when someone was walking by that he could save their life. If he couldn’t kill Floyd, that would be the next best thing he could do before he died—save as many other people as possible. Still, he had little hope for that working.

On the other hand, as the two of them got to the treeline, there was a strange sense of adrenaline pumping through his veins. A similar nervousness boiled inside of him as to when he was going in Floyd’s room, causing him to stop in his tracks. The taller boy glanced back towards him, blinking a couple times as the redhead stared into the darkness. Even with Floyd there, it still felt  _ wrong  _ after all the years spent in the confines of the home’s property.

The twin smiled down at him, grabbing Riddle’s hand once more. “It’ll be alright, Goldfishy~ There’s no monsters there.”

Riddle’s eyes narrowed as he glared up towards Floyd, who’s grin widened. “ _ You’re  _ the monster, idiot.”

“Yeah and I’m right here~” 

The younger boy couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh, motioning with his free hand for the other to lead the way. 

It was harder to walk in the woods than he remembered—something was always trying to trip him up, causing the other boy to tighten his grip around him. Despite that, he’d almost forgotten what the forest  _ smelled  _ like. Despite being so close to it, there was nothing like walking through a forest dampened by rain earlier in the day.

But that joy was cut short when Floyd stopped in his tracks and finally let go of Riddle’s hand, attention completely turned in a direction that the redhead couldn’t make anything out from. The younger boy couldn’t help but wonder if he had heard something, smelled something, or if his vision was just  _ that  _ good. But he could tell there was a nervousness hiding behind the teenager that he’d never seen before he tried to kill. He’d wiped his palms on his pants, tried to keep his breathing even. Floyd finally took a deep breath and turned back towards Riddle, though his odd-eyes wouldn’t look him in the eye. “You wait here, okay? I’m gonna bring it back.”

Riddle felt his throat go dry. He didn’t know how to distract Floyd if he’d already noticed something that  _ he  _ hadn’t. Lips pressed into a fine line before he nodded reluctantly and Floyd, faster than he remembered, ran into the darkness.

_ Looks like running wouldn’t be as easy as I thought either way _ . It wasn’t surprising—Floyd had found him even when he’d hidden when he was younger. If cannibalistic ghouls were real, how hard was it to believe that they had some keen senses? Riddle let a sigh escape his lips.

Then a blood-curdling scream. 

The redhead already felt like he was going to throw up even before the broken twigs announcing Floyd’s return with a fresh body echoed through the woods. The teal-haired boy hurled the body from over his shoulder to the ground in front of them, the dead man resting at an unnatural angle on the forest floor. Floyd kneeled down next to the body, a wicked grin on his face as he grabbed the arm of the man and rolled the sleeve up, sinking his sharpened teeth into his flesh.

Riddle remained quiet, but leaned down to get a better view.

There was a permanent grimace on his face, but he didn’t want to turn away. It was too easy to forget what Floyd  _ was _ . He was nothing to be pitied—he was a monster through and through. He’d just heard this man just get  _ slaughtered  _ and now his body was being torn to pieces. And Riddle was forced to  _ live  _ with this monster.

Floyd finally glanced up from his meal, taking note of the teenager before him’s unamused face. “What?”

The grimace deepend. “This is really disgusting.”

The older boy held out the other hand towards him and smiled. “Wanna bite?” Riddle pushed it away and Floyd laughed, setting both arms down. His hand moved quickly to grab the back of the younger boy’s head, pulling him in so their lips met for just a moment. Blue-grey eyes widened and he pulled away as fast as he could, falling back on his butt onto the damp ground as he wiped the blood away from his mouth. Floyd cackled, falling back himself as Riddle tried desperately to wipe the blood away from his mouth with his sleeve.

“You’re  _ disgusting _ .” He spat out, getting to his feet, cheeks red from both anger and the embarrassment of Floyd kissing him. “I’m going home.”

“Awww, Goldfish!” Floyd called out. “It was just a joke~!”

Riddle’s nails dug into his palms as he stormed through the forest, hoping he was going the right way home.


	7. Chapter 7

They say you can get used to anything.

Riddle had never thought that to be true when he was younger, but he was certainly starting to believe it. Despite his disgust with Floyd after he had first taken him hunting, he’d continued to agree to follow him under the stipulation that the ghoul wouldn’t try to force him to try human flesh and blood anymore. Floyd had tried to play it off as a joke, but there was still something unsettling about the fact that Riddle didn’t really understand _how_ someone turned into a jikininki. Had Floyd already eaten someone when he was human? Was it truly as vague as the stories said? That you just had to do evil things and there was a chance that you’d transform into this horrible monster?

Riddle didn’t want to risk it.

Eating human flesh was disgusting, but at the same time, the more he was exposed to it, the less he minded it. Perhaps it was a sad attempt to rationalize his own impending doom, but he had started equating it to the meat that Floyd would often bring home for the teenager’s meals. The ghoul needed it to survive. How different was it really from pork or chicken?

But the one thing he couldn’t get used to was the way they would scream.

He learned that his mother had been lucky in some sick and twisted way. More often than not, the ghoul wasn’t kind to his victims. He’d hear their shrieks as the other tore them open while still alive. Other times, he’d hear the familiar snapping of twigs of someone trying to run away. Floyd was always faster. There was no chance of escaping once he’d decided that that was his next meal. Sometimes Riddle had even dared to wander towards the edge of the forest where the other boy would like to hunt, watching as the other taunted his prey.

One time one of Floyd’s victims had even seen him. 

She was a runner. Or at least she had _tried_ to be. When she caught sight of Riddle, her hands wrapped around his wrist, trying to drag him in the direction that she had gone. 

“ _Run!_ ” She yelled, “There’s something. H-He’s not…” Her voice had trailed off as her vision caught sight of Floyd once more. Though, this was a particularly cruel day for him. He was a cat toying with a little mouse. She tried to tug on the redhead once more, but he wouldn’t budge. 

Floyd laughed, standing five feet away from the two of them. “I see you’ve found my goldfishy~”

Large blue eyes stared down at him and her hands began to tremble when she let go of the teenager. Riddle’s lips pressed tightly together, guilt swelling inside of him. But what could he do? Running didn’t help. There was no convincing Floyd _not_ to eat. The younger boy simply averted his gaze, shuffling his feet towards a downed tree that had been moved to the side of the road.

She hadn’t even had the chance to try running again. In a swift motion, Floyd closed the gap between them and his teeth dug into her shoulder, tearing out a large chunk of flesh. Her screams sent birds flying, but she couldn’t find the strength to run. The woman fell to her knees, sobbing as Floyd looked down at her. 

But then she’d looked at Riddle again. “ _Please_!” She begged. “Please help me!” He’d simply leaned forward, placing his chin in his hand as he watched the chaos. He couldn’t even bring himself to say he was sorry.

Floyd’s nails scratched her stomach open. She died a horrible death on that dirt pathway, staring at Riddle. He’d wondered what her final thoughts were like. _What’s killing me? Why isn’t this boy helping me?_ How strange it must have been to see a human boy watching as something supernatural tore her open. 

He knew he wouldn’t have those thoughts. He knew he would have questions when he died, but they probably wouldn’t be the ones that most of his victims had. At this point he’d wondered if he’d even be scared. He’d had so much time to prepare for his death mentally that thinking about it no longer terrified him. He worried less and less about _when_ it would happen, only that it _would_ . And strangely, he’d begun to grow thankful for the life he _had_ led.

Comparatively it would be short, but it was longer than he’d thought it would be. He was grateful for his mother. For Trey and Che’nya despite how short-lived their friendship had been. And in some ways, he was even grateful for Floyd. There was no question that he was a horrible person even after Riddle had begun to rationalize him killing people. But he also couldn’t forget about the days when Floyd would fall asleep in his lap while Riddle read or when they would throw snowballs at each other until the older of the two would tackle him down in the snow, both of them in a fit of laughter. 

Despite everything, Riddle Rosehearts had had a _life_.

But he had to guess that he was around sixteen at this point and death was on his mind more often than he’d like.

Floyd held onto his hand as Riddle climbed on top of a tall log, making sure to keep him steady as the two of them walked through the heavily wooded forest. Questions had been bubbling up inside of him, but the fact that they were looking for a new victim caused the voice in his head to whisper _am I next?_ Would the other boy take him into the woods like the rest of his victims so his blood didn’t stain the walls like the others killed in their home? Would he play with him before killing him like so many others? Would it be slow?

Riddle pressed his lips into a fine line, hand squeezing around the other’s as the two of them walked, catching the ghoul’s attention. “You look scary when you’re so lost in thought, Goldfish~”

Blue-grey eyes glanced up towards the other for a moment, taking in the lazy smile on the other’s lips. He tried to swallow back the words bubbling inside of him, but the anxiety of the situation took hold. “When do you intend to kill me?”

“When do you want me to kill you, Goldfishy?” The words came out as casually as if he was asking what Riddle wanted for dinner. 

“Preferably never.” The other boy chuckled, though he didn’t respond. Only the sound of twigs snapping underneath them could be heard as the two of them walked in silence for a long while. He couldn’t help but notice that Floyd’s expression was uncharacteristically serious. “Can you promise me one thing at least?” The taller boy raised a brow at the other, though he still refused to answer. It seemed like a troubling topic for him. After all, most of his victims didn’t get to ask _how_ they were going to die before they were killed—they simply died. 

But even though Riddle was taken in to be killed later, he still felt that Floyd _owed_ it to him to treat him better than the others. They’d spent _years_ building their relationship. Could Floyd really still think of him as nothing more than livestock? He hadn’t had the nerve to see if anything had been added to the journal about him. The redhead took a deep breath, squeezing the other’s hand as he gathered the courage to ask for the favor he’d been _dying_ to ask since he started following the other on his hunts. “Would you make it fast?”

Floyd stopped in his tracks, mismatched eyes staring so intently into the redhead that shivers ran up his spine. For a moment, he couldn’t help but wonder if this really _was_ it for him. Riddle’s heart began to race as the other studied him in silence, that animalistic drive evident in the hardness of his gaze. Finally, the ghoul tugged on his hand to pull him closer, both arms wrapping around Riddle to pull him into a tight hug.

“I’m not going to kill you yet.” His voice was so quiet that Riddle strained to hear it. One of his hands moved to the younger boy’s hair, nails running gently through his hair. “But I promise that when I do, it’ll be fast, okay?”

Riddle nodded and buried his face into the other’s chest, his own arms wrapping loosely around the other as a weight was lifted from his shoulders. If there was one virtuous trait that Floyd had, it was that he was honest. The ghoul rested his chin on top of his head, still running his fingers through his hair as the two hugged in silence until whatever seemed to be eating at Floyd’s mind drifted away as well.

It wasn’t long until something caught Floyd’s attention. He let Riddle’s hand fall from his grasp, eyes fixed in the position of his prey in the distance. “I’ll be back.”

The redhead shrugged. “I’m going to go walk a bit more.”

Floyd glanced back, though it was obvious his attention was still stuck on whatever he smelled or heard in the distance. “Don’t go too far, okay?”

The boy rolled his eyes slightly, already walking away. “It won’t matter if I get lost.”

But Floyd didn’t respond. The two of them walked in their separate directions until Riddle hit the main dirt path, taking note of the lack of screaming coming from the direction that the other had gone. Brows furrowed together, glancing down the path as he continued listening for it, but nothing came. 

Instead, a sound came from behind him. A bag dropped to the ground and the redhead felt something hit his foot, causing him to pull himself out of his deep concentration. Blue-grey eyes fell on an apple that had rolled towards him, kneeling down to pick it up. “Riddle...?” There was no way he would have recognized the voice and it had been so long since someone had said his name that he’d almost missed it completely. But finally, as the familiar name settled within his mind, his eyes widened, too afraid for a moment to even look in the direction that it had come in. He held the fruit tightly in his hand, his whole body going cold. _This isn’t possible._ “Is that really…?”

The person talking to him grabbed him gently by the arm, snapping the teenager out of his paralyzation. Riddle glanced up towards the other, taking in a much different face than the one he had known before. But there was no denying it—the boy standing in front of him was Trey Clover. “I thought—we all thought you were dead! Where have you been?!” Riddle turned in the direction that Floyd had gone, realizing that the lack of screaming was because he had sensed someone else coming. _No, this can’t be happening_. “I went by your house, your mom’s work. You were jus—”

Riddle turned his head quickly, pressing his hands to the other’s chest to start pushing him in the direction he had come. “You have to go, Trey. _Now_ .” Maybe he still had time until Floyd came. Maybe the one person he saved could be one of the only people he truly _needed_ to save.

“What’s going on?” The other’s brows furrowed, his hands moving to either side of the redhead’s shoulders as he fought against being pushed. “Riddle, where have you been?” His heart shattered at how concerned he sounded, causing his fingers to curl into the fabric of his shirt. Riddle fought back tears, the whirlwind of relief, comfort, and absolute dread threatening to choke him.

“I can’t explain. You just have to go!” He tried pushing harder, but the older boy wouldn’t budge. “Pretend you never saw me and _run_.”

But it was already too late. 

“Goldfishy, who’s this~? Did you find a little sea turtle?” The redhead stiffened, his gaze darting up to Trey’s face to see him staring towards the ghoul behind him.

Trey had similar questions, though his tone wasn’t playful like Floyd’s. Judging just from the shaking of his voice, the ghoul had his cruel, open-mouthed smile to bare his teeth at the other. “Who’s this…?”

Finally, Riddle was able to push his childhood friend off of him, quickly turning to run towards the teal-haired boy. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop him once he’d made up his mind, but his hands pressed on the other’s chest, trying to push _him_ back instead this time. “Floyd, _no_ . Not him, _please!_ ” He begged. 

Floyd’s eyes narrowed and his attention moved towards the youngest boy—a glare so cold that it made him question just how much he _really_ knew him. But there was no giving up. Not for Trey. “Riddle, let’s get ou—” That dangerous look stopped Trey in his tracks.

“Please, Floyd! I never ask you for anything, _please_ !” His voice cracked in the panic and the tears could no longer be fought back. “Let’s just go home, _please!_ ” But the ghoul wouldn’t look at him. One of his arms snaked around Riddle’s back, nails digging into his side. Nails he’d seen rip clothing and flesh apart. Nails that were sending a sharp pain through his body as they pierced his skin.

Apparently Trey had noticed the blood pooling at his side. “Stop!” He yelled out. “You’re hurting him.” His voice was strangely calm as he said it and Floyd’s grip loosened, his gaze finally moving to meet Riddle once more.

But the pain was nothing compared to the panic he’d been feeling. His whole body shook against the other and for once, it seemed that Floyd had taken notice of it. The hand stained with Riddle’s blood moved to grasp one of the hands on the jikininki’s chest, mismatched eyes moving back to Trey for a moment. The teal-haired boy’s lips curled into a grimace of disgust and he moved away from Riddle, keeping Trey in his gaze as he began to guide the teenager away. “ _Don’t_ follow us.”

Riddle could hardly believe the rush of relief that had washed over him. Blue-grey eyes glanced back to Trey, stunned at the strange encounter that had happened between them. He tried to mouth something to the redhead, but he couldn’t make out the words in the darkness. 

Floyd hadn’t let go of his hand until they walked in the front door of their home. The two of them hadn’t even said anything—they just remained quiet, the tension so thick that it could have been cut with a knife. “Goldfish, stay with me tonight.” It wasn’t a question. The redhead nodded, moving to his room to get his pajamas.

He hadn’t actually spent a night with him before. His heart pounded heavily in his chest, knowing that this encounter had changed something in him. There was an anger boiling inside of the ghoul that was impossible to ignore and for the second time tonight, Riddle wondered if he was going to die.

Instead, he found Floyd shirtless sitting on his bed, a first-aid kid plopped next to him. Blue-grey eyes looked him over cautiously, that predatory look still on his face as Riddle walked in. “Let me fix you up.” Once again, it wasn’t a question. Still, the boy nodded and pulled the bloodstained shirt over his head, tossing it on the floor next to a pile of Floyd’s discarded clothing. “You look so scared, Goldifshy~” Floyd mused, grabbing some bandages from the first aid kit.

Despite everything within him telling him to run, he closed the gap between them so Floyd could bandage the wound he had caused.

When he was done, the teal-haired boy spread his legs, patting the space it created to urge Riddle to sit down. He wondered if the other could hear how fast his heart was beating inside of his chest. But he had to fight his instinct to run if he wanted to live another day. The boy sat down and one of Floyd’s arms wrapped around his stomach, another one finding his throat as he was pulled back against him. “Goldfiiiiish,” He whispered playfully into his ear, nails digging dangerously into his neck. “I want to make something very clear, so listen, okay~?” His playful tone didn’t match the actions, nor the cruel chuckle that escaped his lips. Floyd leaned down to the redhead’s shoulder and Riddle could feel the other’s hot breath against his skin before the teeth grazed his shoulder. Riddle's breath caught in his throat, though the graze was followed by a kiss on the shoulder, then another. Still, he lingered too long after for Riddle to feel comfortable. “You’re not leaving here without me, okay?” 

“I know, Floyd.” Riddle’s voice was barely a whisper. The ghoul laughed against his skin, fingers curling into a fist on his stomach with his nails lightly grazing his skin. He took deep breaths in an attempt to remain calm, though there was no hiding how badly he was shaking. 

“And next time I’m gonna kill anyone who wants to change that, okay~?” His face nuzzled into Riddle’s neck and the redhead suddenly felt so small against the other boy. 

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Another dry laugh in his ear, followed by a light nibble. “Even if that sea turtle comes back~?”

The boy’s lips pressed into a fine line and he broke away from the other’s grasp, turning to look the other in the eye. The ghoul’s hands rested on Riddle’s hips, watching intently as he leaned forward and placed his own hands on the older boy’s shoulders, keeping him at eye level in an attempt to convey how serious he was. “If you promise not to do anything to him, you can do whatever you want with me. I won’t leave.”

Floyd’s lips curled into a grin. “I can already do whatever I want with you.” There was a breathiness to his words that made the redhead painfully aware of how close he was to the other. He could feel the phantom sensation of Floyd’s breath on his ear, sending shivers up his spine once more as his eyes moved down towards the other’s lips, tracing the curve of his bottom lip. The ghoul brought a hand to the redhead’s cheek to push a lock of hair behind his ear, leaning in closely. Riddle hadn’t thought it possible for his heart to race _more_ , but when the other was just a couple inches away, he offered him another cruel grin before leaning back on the bed, the bed bouncing slightly from the impact. “I’m sleepy, Goldfish~ Hurry up and change!”

Riddle blinked a couple times. “A-Alright.” He said quietly, taken back by the sudden change of mood. It wasn’t uncommon, but this was definitely the _strangest_. For a moment he’d honestly thought that Floyd was going to kiss him. His cheeks burned as he turned to change into the sweatpants he had brought and he could feel Floyd’s gaze burning into his back. But when he turned around, he was greeted into the bed with arms out and he was pulled into the other’s chest, fingers running through his hair as they had done countless times before.

But even after Floyd drifted off, he found that he couldn’t sleep. His mind was racing with too many thoughts from the day. Riddle’s arms tightened around Floyd as he listened to his even breathing, trying to no avail to distract himself from the thoughts that kept him up.

Trey was alive. Trey knew that he was out there, not far. And more than likely, Trey would try to find him again.


	8. Chapter 8

Riddle’s heart was racing. His feet carried him as fast as they could along the dirt path, blue eyes glancing over his shoulder every so often to see if Floyd was following him. But of course he was—there was no way that he’d let him get away. He was Floyd’s _property_. He’d made that perfectly clear after they had run into Trey. 

_You’re not leaving here without me, kay~?_

The teenager’s body ran into someone as he glanced back once more and hands grabbed his upper arms, shaking the redhead a little. “Woah, there. What’s gotten into you?” The redhead’s eyes darted up towards the other, then back behind him once more. No sign of Floyd.

“H-He’s coming.” His words came out more of a series of gasps, causing the older stranger’s brows to furrow.

“Who’s coming?”

“ _Him._ ” Riddle turned towards the man, his own hands moving to grab the other’s arms. Nails dug into his sleeves. “Please, you have to help me!” The boy begged. 

“Alright, alri—” 

A familiar chuckle filled the air and Floyd’s nails wrapped around the stranger’s neck. Riddle’s panicked expression dropped as he took in the older man’s face as his own eyes widened. “Sorry.” Riddle managed to get out, taking a couple steps back as Floyd’s sharp nails began to dig into his skin. That man let out a loud scream as the jikininki’s teeth dug into his throat and Riddle crossed his arms over his chest, taking in the scene before him.

The man’s body gave out from under him and the older of the two let his body drop to the ground, a bloody smile moving towards the redhead. “You were so good, Goldfishie~” He cooed before grabbing the man’s limp arm once more.

“Of course I was.” In fact, a part of him hoped that something would happen that would make Floyd lose track of him. Maybe he _could_ get away if there was just the right circumstances. People were on edge nowadays—if he could run into the right person, if they could _hurt_ Floyd, then maybe he could be free eventually. He could find Trey and Che’nya. He could go _home_.

Not that he really _had_ a home. At this point, he wondered if he had spent more years living with Floyd than he had his own mother. Sometimes he would try to count, but the aggravating thing about the ghoul he lived with is that he _also_ didn’t seem to really care for time. His mind wandered to the diary hidden away and the notes about the people he’d met scrawled in the pages. He wondered if time was too strange of a concept for him at this point—that he never changed, so why would he pay attention to it? Or perhaps it was just a painful reminder that he’d left his brother behind.

Riddle picked up the other limp arm, helping the other to drag the body towards the woods. Mismatched eyes glanced at him for a moment, brows twitching for just a moment as he took in the sight of the smaller boy helping to handle the body. “ _What?_ ” Riddle said, knitting his own brows together as he took in the other’s expression.

“You’re gonna get bloody.” He said after a moment. 

Blue eyes glanced down at the corpse, all signs of life now completely gone. His own hands went cold as he took in the sight of him holding onto the other’s wrist, though he didn’t let go. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders, trying not to let on that _he_ hadn’t really expected himself to help with such an action either. “Well, it’s partially my fault.”

“I’ve told you you don’t need to help with the bodies.” Riddle shrugged.

The truth was that things were getting dangerous for Floyd. He was hunting more, and with that, the people in the towns nearby were getting restless. They were coming armed more often than not and while nothing bad had happened yet, it was only a matter of time before someone caught Floyd off guard. A part of Riddle was jealous of whoever that was going to be—after all this time, the idea of not being the one to kill Floyd seemed strange and foreign. He’d spend his waking moments dreaming about how he’d do it, what he’d say. But nothing ever felt right. And now that Floyd was putting himself in more danger, it was only a matter of time before he just...never came home again.

“You’re getting reckless.” The smaller boy finally replied. “At this point someone’s going to see you dragging a body and end up killing you.” The two flopped the large man down a decent ways into the forest—the blood trail partially obscured by the foliage. Floyd kneeled down first, followed by Riddle, who’s hands wrapped tightly around his knees as he squatted. He watched Floyd dig his teeth into the other’s tanned skin and couldn’t help but wonder when such a sight stopped making him want to vomit. “You’re not listening.”

Odd-eyes glanced back towards him, mouth full of the other’s bicep. His jaw unclenched around the skin and the older boy pouted slightly. “I’m just hungry.”

“You’re _always_ hungry now.”

Floyd’s fingers tightened around the arm and his gaze dropped, looking at the body before him. Though, he forced his normal smile on his lips, no matter how evident it was that there was something going on that he wasn’t ready to talk about. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine~” The ghoul shifted to sit cross legged on the ground, a bloody hand reaching to grab one of Riddle’s. This time there seemed to be little effort to the softer expression on his face. “I’m not gonna leave my little Goldfishie, okay~?” His fingers laced with the redhead’s and gave a tight squeeze, though blue eyes just stared blankly at the other. 

“Is it impossible for you to take anything seriously?”

“Eh~? What am I not taking seriously~?”

“The fact that you’re hunting so much that people are _noticing,_ Floyd!” The words came out harsher than he had intended and the ghoul finally let go of his hand, though he didn’t go back to eating. His eyes averted from the teenager once more, instead staring down at the body before them. “You don’t seem to understand there were _already_ rumors about you when you kidnapped _me_. If people are trying to fight back, then you’re going to get hurt someday and you don’t seem to care at all.”

“I care.” Floyd’s voice was uncharacteristically quiet, causing Riddle’s brows to furrow once more. The older of the two let out a dry laugh and rubbed at his cheek, leaving a stain of blood on his pale skin. 

“You have an odd way of showing it.” Riddle scoffed.

“What else am I supposed to do, Goldfishie? You’re already—” Floyd cut himself off.

The redhead’s stomach was tying into knots. The other didn’t _need_ to continue that sentence for him to understand what he meant, but a part of him _wanted_ to hear it. “I’m already _what_ , Floyd?”

He flinched slightly, as if those words had had more impact on him despite the fact that they had been far softer than how he had lashed out previously. The teal haired boy was quiet for a long while, still unable to look at him. “It’s getting hard to live with you.” The words were so quiet that he had to strain to hear them.

Riddle sighed, moving to sit on the ground to scoot closer to the other. There was a strange sort of relief that came with knowing that his time was finally coming to an end—that all of this could come to a close right here. There’d be no more Floyd. No more nightmares. No more helping kill people. He could be free to join his mother and the killing would come to a lull. Maybe Floyd would even leave now that people were wary of the dangers lurking in the shadows at night. “I don’t mind if you...” He let his own words drift off because despite the fact that it was freeing, there was still a part of him that clung to the idea of living. “You just...remember our promise, alright?”

Floyd finally made eye contact with the other and he forced a smile on his lips. The redhead could feel his heart pounding as the other took him in and he couldn’t help but notice that there was a look of sadness looking back at him. Still, the ghoul forced a smile on his lips once more and his hands moved to either side of the boy’s chin, thumbs brushing lightly against his cheeks. 

It took all of Riddle’s might not to panic. His nails dug into the dirt and he closed his eyes tightly, anticipating the sudden darkness that would come after Floyd snapped his neck. He wondered if any of the gods were actually real and would be waiting for him. Or maybe, with all the times he’d helped Floyd by now, that there was a special place in hell reserved for him. Had his mom been watching over him? Would she be proud of him for living this long? Or would she condemn him for his own sins? 

Floyd’s hands squeezed tightly, causing the redhead’s heart to quicken. He started a countdown in his mind, wondering if he would even make it to zero before he died. _Ten...nine…_ And yet, it still hadn’t come. Would Trey come looking for him? _Eight…_ Would Floyd kill Trey after Riddle was gone? _Seve—_ His countdown was cut off by the other leaning in close and chomping down hard in front of him, causing his teeth to clack loudly. Blue eyes opened and he stared up at the other, far more confused than he had been previously. 

“You can’t get rid of me that easily~” He teased before leaning in to kiss Riddle on the forehead. “You gotta play with me a little longer, okay?” 

Before Riddle could find any words to protest with, the other went back to eating his meal. He just stared at the other for a long while, both furious and relieved that he was still alive. However, it didn’t take long for the rage building inside of him to take over. “Floyd, I don’t want you to kill _more_ people because of me.”

Once again, Floyd tore himself away from the body, this time seemingly more annoyed than anything. “I told you that you don’t get to make that decision, Goldfish.” There was a dangerousness to his voice that caused Riddle’s heart to speed up once more. “When you go, it’s because I say you can go.”

“Innocent people shouldn’t die because of _me._ ”

Floyd tilted his head to the side, an amused smile forming on his lips. “ _He_ did, though. _You’re_ the one who came up with the idea to catch him off guard.”

“That’s not what I—”

“Oh~?” He smiled once more. “Then what were you hoping for?” The redhead’s mind went blank. He’d fallen into a trap that he couldn’t get out of—it was either admit that he wanted to escape or admit that he was helping Floyd kill someone. His lips pressed into a fine line as he stared at the other. Floyd laughed, seemingly already aware of what his ulterior motives might have been. 

In a flash of motion, Floyd’s hands moved towards Riddle’s shoulders, pushing him so his back was on the ground. The older of the two was on his hands and knees above him, a playful chuckle echoing off of the trees. Still, Riddle wasn’t laughing. If Floyd had known about what he had wanted to do, why did he go along with it? “I already told you I wasn’t going to leave you.” Riddle finally stated, more defensive than anything.

Floyd smiled down at him. “I know you’re not gonna, Goldfishie~”

Red eyebrows furrowed once more, unsettled by how this whole conversation was going. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

The blue-haired boy shrugged, obviously keeping something amusing to himself.

“You’re an ass.” Floyd chuckled once more before leaning down to the other’s neck, allowing his teeth to brush lightly against his throat. Suddenly, Riddle felt as if he was going to choke. It was one thing to have known that death was coming, but for the other to insist that he wouldn’t kill him now and then to tease him in such a way was too much. He tried to wiggle away from the other, but Floyd moved his knee between Riddle’s legs and one of his hands moved to the other side of Riddle’s neck to keep him stable. “Floyd, you said—!”

“I’m not gonna kill ya~” He chuckled once more, his warm breath against his skin. “I just wanna taste, okay?”

“No, that’s _not_ okay!” Riddle’s hands moved towards the other’s chest, but Floyd’s tongue ran across his neck. Shivers ran up his spine, causing him to freeze underneath the other, his face suddenly burning. Nails dug into the jikininki’s shirt and his whole body began to tremble.

“It’s okay~” He cooed into the smaller boy’s ear before kissing just underneath it. 

“You’re sick.” Riddle’s voice trembled. “You’re just keeping me here to torment me.”

Floyd moved to hover over him once more, a wide smile on his lips. “Eh~? I thought I made it clear that _you’re_ the one tormenting _me_.” Riddle managed to catch his breath long enough for him to push the other off of him. The ghoul laughed once more as the redhead got to his feet, wiping the dirt from his pants.

“I’m leaving.” He spat out as dirty hands wiped at the small trail of blood and saliva left on his skin. Floyd didn’t stop him or even bother trying to call out to him. By this time, he knew that the redhead knew his way through the thick forest almost as well as Floyd did. And even if he didn’t, the other would know when he wandered too far off from the path.

Still, he paused on the edge of their property line, taking in the sight of the garden he’d created, when he couldn’t help but wonder why he hadn’t _tried_ to run. There was nothing keeping him here anymore. His time was already running out. Blue eyes glanced behind him, a part of him hoping for the other’s form to show up through the forest to stop him, but nothing came. There was nothing but the cool spring breeze to guide him back towards the house he’d been held captive in for years. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I have no self control once again.

“Goldfishie, try this.” Riddle glanced over towards the pot for a moment, taking in the brown sludge before opening his mouth for the wooden spoon. The ghoul was very careful as he placed it in his mouth after having bumped the smaller boy’s teeth countless times. There was an immediate sensation of salt that flooded into the boy’s mouth, though he could tell the base of it was good. The redhead wrinkled his nose and Floyd pouted, pulling the spoon back. “No good?” 

“It’s too salty.” 

The taller boy’s face contorted into a frustrated expression, mismatched eyes glancing over what he currently had stored on the counter space to try to find a remedy. Riddle couldn’t help but chuckle. “I still stand by the fact that it would probably be better if  _ I  _ was the one doing most of the cooking.” He’d definitely been allowed more freedom in the kitchen and even made his own meals at least two nights during the week, but the other generally insisted on being the one to cook.

“But then what would  _ I  _ do?” He whined, grabbing some lemon.

“ _ You  _ could be the one chopping vegetables.” Riddle gestured towards the half-chopped carrot in front of him with his knife. 

“But that’s  _ booooring _ .”

“I’m well aware of that.” Floyd glanced down towards him, the corner of his lip curling into a half-smile as he stirred the pot. After a few moments, the ghoul’s hand moved to the small of Riddle’s back and the wooden spoon was held at mouth-level for him once more.

It was still saltier than he would have preferred, but it was tolerable now. He didn’t usually like asking for more than one correction at the same time—it would often lead to Floyd getting more frustrated than he needed to be. Even now, as he watched the redhead contemplate the taste, he looked like he was holding his breath, waiting for either praise or to have the world come crashing down around him. Riddle had learned the hard way that his disappointment was harder to work with than having food that is only  _ barely  _ imperfect. The redhead nodded, allowing a smile to form on his lips. “Perfect.”

The blue-haired boy’s face lit up, a delighted laugh escaping his lips as he set the spoon aside, covering the pot with a lid to allow it to simmer. Though, when he turned back towards Riddle, he blinked a couple times, simply staring at the boy until Riddle tore his attention away from the carrot, brows furrowing at the other. “ _ What? _ ”

One of the other’s hands moved to run a thumb just along the bottom of his lower lip, wiping away some leftovers from the oversized spoon. It was a small gesture, but enough to cause the younger boy to tense up. Floyd grinned, showing off the liquid on his thumb as Riddle felt the heat on his cheeks.

However, because of his nerves, his hand slipped and the knife dragged along his thumb. Riddle let out a gasp, quickly bringing the cut to his mouth in order to try to keep the blood from getting everywhere. “Floyd, can you—”

As soon as his blue-grey eyes caught hold of the other, it was obvious that something had changed. His eyes widened, and the hand that had been holding onto the countertop was gripping it so tightly that his knuckles had begun to turn white. Instinctively, he felt his heart begin to quicken, unsure if he should be running. “Are you—?” His free hand had moved to rest upon the other’s upper arm to try to draw the other back to reality, but was violently shrugged off. Riddle flinched slightly at the action, and suddenly was very aware of how hard the other was concentrating. 

The boy took an uncertain step back and the ghoul’s eyes darted to realign his gaze with that of the thumb in his mouth. Now, he couldn’t help but notice how hard Floyd was breathing. Riddle took his thumb from outside of his mouth, blue eyes darting towards the knife he had abandoned on the cutting board after he had cut himself. 

He had two options: close the small gap between them to try to defend himself, or run. Riddle chose to run. 

His feet picked up as he booked it towards the room Floyd used to lock him in—it was the closest that didn’t have a flimsy door like a closet. Even in the short time it took to close that distance, it was obvious Floyd was still trying to hold back, despite the fact that he could hear the taller boy running behind him. Riddle opened the door, slamming Floyd’s arm in the process as it had reached out to try to grab him by the shirt. The ghoul let out a loud yelp and Riddle let up a little on the pressure of the door, only to slam his whole body weight against it once more. Finally, he pulled his hand back.

Riddle held his body against the door as Floyd banged against it, snarling in a way so animalistic that had he not known what was chasing it, he might’ve assumed that it had been something else at the door. His whole body was cold and he dug his heels into the ground, praying that the other wouldn’t be able to overpower him enough to unlatch the wooden door once more. 

His lungs felt heavy inside of his chest as he struggled to catch his breath. No matter what he did, it seemed he couldn’t get enough air. “Floyd,  _ please! _ ” He screamed, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be able to get to the person inside of him. Whatever  _ this  _ was certainly wouldn’t keep their promise. Whatever was pounding on his door was more ghoul than the boy he’d grown up with. “ _ Please  _ don’t do this!” He sobbed. Riddle didn’t even dare move a hand from the door to wipe away the tears that were streaming down his face.

It felt like hours before the pounding began to slow to a stop and even then, the small boy wouldn’t move from blocking the door with his whole body until he was sure it was over. His back slid against the door until he was curled into a ball, burying his face into his knees as he allowed the adrenaline to take the form of full-on sobbing. 

Shivers ran up his spine as he heard a light tapping at his head-level, his body immediately tensing up once more. “Goldfishie…?” Floyd’s voice was quiet and incredibly close—probably also on the floor of the other side of the door. “Can I come in…?”

“ _ No! _ ” Riddle screamed, pulling himself into a tighter ball. He couldn’t figure out if he wanted to stand up and try to guard the door again, but he didn’t have the energy.  _ This could be a trick _ , he kept thinking to himself.  _ He just wants me to open the door so he can kill me.  _ “Leave me alone!”

“ _ Please _ ,” The ghoul begged, “I didn’t mean to. I’m  _ sorry _ .”

“Go.  _ Away. _ ” His voice was more firm this time, though he was certain that it was still obvious that he was still sobbing on the other side of the door. Even if Floyd somehow couldn’t hear it, the shakiness was still there. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I said  _ go away,  _ Floyd!” His voice cracked as he raised his voice and he couldn’t help but pull himself as tightly as he could into a ball. Floyd stopped responding after that.

Eventually Riddle moved to the bathroom off of the bedroom, closed the door, and pulled a towel over himself to curl in the bathtub as a makeshift bed and blanket—his own blanket abandoned on the couch where he now spent most of his time sleeping. 

He hadn’t had nightmares in a long time. As soon as he saw his mother’s back, he knew what this was, though. She never came to give him well-wishes. She never came to tell him she was proud of him. She only blamed him for her death, and even in the nightmare, he felt heavier just seeing her. Her laugh bounced off of the forest and his gaze moved down to the dirt below them. Blood stained the dirt—looking so oddly similar to the trail he’d helped create when he helped drag the body away. He wasn’t sure how—all those trails looked similar—but somehow he  _ knew  _ that it was his.

Blue eyes followed the trail behind him, watching until it disappeared in the darkness. Riddle turned away from his mother, following the trail. “Riddle?” She called out, though her voice sounded further away than it should have been. “Riddle, where are you going?”

He didn’t have an answer for her. 

He wasn’t alone in the darkness. There wasn’t the familiar sound of nocturnal animals rustling the leaves. There wasn’t a snapping of sticks. But somehow, he knew that he was being watched. Floyd was somewhere out there, waiting for a chance to strike.

What pulled him out of his daze as he followed the trail was a crunch underneath his feet. Red eyebrows knit tightly together as he moved his feet, taking note of the crushed glasses underneath him. Riddle leaned down, picking them up carefully to hold them in front of him, until blue eyes settled on a mangled body in front of him, distorted by the lens of the glasses. His heart began to race as he stood up once more, tossing the glasses to the side as he ran towards Trey’s mangled body. 

Riddle fell to his knees beside him, moving from him to his side to his back as he tried to shake the other awake. But there was no use—Trey’s body was covered in blood. Disemboweled as he’d seen countless times before. 

“It’s sad, isn’t it?” An unfamiliar voice called from behind him. 

The redhead turned around, his eyes first catching another body on the ground from where he had just come. A small boy with unmistakable pink hair.  _ Che’nya.  _

But then his eyes moved followed the legs of the person standing in front of him. The boy, almost as small as his last memory of one of the only friends he had ever made, moved a couple steps closer towards him. Riddle felt tears stinging at his eyes as he watched a reflection of his younger self move closer towards him. He was covered in blood, though it was concentrated around his mouth. His lips curled into a smile, revealing the sharp teeth he’d grown so accustomed to living with. “No—” It was all he managed to get out before the small boy crouched in front of him.

“Are you scared?” Riddle’s lower lip wobbled and he nodded. “Me too.”

The smaller version of himself reached a hand out to move a lock of Riddle’s hair behind his ear. 

“—Goldfishie?” The redhead shot to look behind him. Trey’s body was nowhere to be found, and when he turned to look at the ghoulish version of himself, it too had disappeared. All that was left was him and Floyd Leech. 

Tears welled up as he fought the instinct to run towards the other. Even here, he remembered how often Floyd had tried to comfort him as his memories tried to suffocate him. But he couldn’t—this was  _ his  _ fault. This person had already killed the boy he could have become. “Goldfishie…” He tried once more, taking a couple steps towards him. Riddle’s heart was pounding inside of his head, his stomach tightening as he felt the urge to flee.

And then he woke up. 

Riddle was panting as he shot up from his place curled up in the tub. It took his eyes a moment to adjust in the darkness, but he was alone. The teenager wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead, carefully standing up from the tub as he focused on getting water to curb the dryness of his mouth. 

Floyd had cleaned the kitchen up. His stomach rumbled for food, though he felt far too sick for it. His eyes landed on a note in the tupperware when he went to grab the pitcher of water, frowning as he saw  _ I’m sorry  _ scrawled on top of what would have been his dinner. He ignored it, instead opting to pour the cool water in the cup he’d grabbed from the cupboard.

He stood in the kitchen as he drank, blue eyes settling on the block of knives holding the culprit that had cut him earlier. The animalistic sounds of the other rang in his ear once more, and Riddle wanted to vomit. Images of Trey and Che’nya’s body remained fresh in his mind, but what spooked him the most was the child-version of himself and the way his teeth pointed in ways similar to that than the person who held him captive. 

The young boy set his cup down and moved quickly to the block, grabbing the largest knife hidden away.  _ It’s his fault.  _ He kept telling himself.  _ He’s going to kill me and he’s going to kill Trey.  _ Riddle hurried as quickly and as quietly to the ghoul’s room as he could, gripping the knife so tightly that his knuckles began to turn white.  _ I have to end this _ .

Riddle stood beside Floyd’s bed, taking the other in as he slept with the covers half-on. His lips pressed into a tight line, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. There was no room for mistakes here—if Floyd wasn’t at least  _ seriously  _ injured, he’d just kill him instead.  _ The throat.  _ It’d be the most effective probably.  _ But to get a good position, you’d have to kneel on the bed. It could wake him up _ . Stabbing was something else that popped into his mind. Just as quickly as he could until either one of them was dead. 

He raised the knife above his head, his hands shaking as he tried to give himself the courage to do what needed to be done.  _ It’ll save lives. It’ll save  _ your  _ life.  _ But even then, he could hear the dream version of Floyd calling out to him, so full of concern. Riddle could feel the tears burning at his eyes once more, remembering how he would hold him close after a nightmare, no matter how much he tried to push him away. Floyd would just sit there beside him, rocking him from side to side until the tears stopped or his heart rate began to slow down. 

The knife fell to his side once more, his heart once again racing as he turned his back towards the older boy still asleep on the bed.  _ You’re an idiot.  _ Riddle scolded himself.  _ You have to save yourself _ . But there was one difference from his dream that kept nagging at the back of his mind—the dream version of himself had killed Trey and Che’nya. But Riddle wasn’t a murderer. 

Not  _ yet,  _ at least.

The redhead set the knife down on the bedside table, allowing a sigh to escape his lips. Blue eyes landed on the ghoul once more, wondering what kind of mistake he was making. “Floyd.” He called out, nudging the edge of the mattress with his knee.

“Nn?” Floyd replied, obviously still not awake.

“Scoot over.” 

The teal-haired boy rolled over slightly, outstretching an arm vaguely in Riddle’s direction as he kept his eyes closed. The smaller boy moved the covers aside, crawling in next to him. Riddle’s arms wrapped tightly around the other’s waist, burying his face into the other’s chest. Floyd let out a tired chuckle, nuzzling his face into red locks as one hand lazily toyed with the back of his hair. “I’m sorry, Goldfishie.” He whispered. 

Riddle nodded into the warmth of the other, closing his eyes as tightly as he could. “I know.” 

The two of them remained silent until they both dozed off, but Riddle woke up in the bed alone. He shielded his eyes from the intruding sunlight, burying himself under the covers until a new panic dawned on him. The teenager shot up from the bed, blue eyes moving towards the empty nightstand beside him.


	10. Chapter 10

Riddle carefully got out of bed, tiptoeing down the hall as chopping sounds echoed from the kitchen. His lips pressed tightly together, taking a deep breath as he remained hidden behind the corner towards the kitchen. 

“Morning, Goldfishie~” Floyd called, causing the smaller boy’s heart to skip a beat. The boy sighed, rubbing together sweaty palms before turning the corner. 

“Morning.” Floyd didn’t bother to look at him at first. On a normal day, he’d assume that he was too engrossed in cooking to bother. However, blue eyes landed on the tomato the other was cutting, taking note of the fact that it was the same knife he had considered killing Floyd with. He was suddenly glad the other wasn’t watching him as his body began to tremble. “What are you making?”

“An omelette~” The ghoul sang. “I was just gonna make eggs, but something was just calling for me to do something a little fancier.” The older of the two held up the hand with the knife, swinging it around ever so gently.

There was something unnerving about the other’s response. Surely he’d determined  _ why  _ the knife had been in his room, but his threats remained veiled behind his carefree nature. Naturally, that didn’t bring Riddle any peace of mind. “I-Is that so…?”

Floyd finally turned around, mismatched eyes watching him closely as he brought the tip of the knife to his top teeth, letting out a chuckle as he took the smaller boy in. He waited like that for a long while, simply rotating the back of the knife back and forth against his lower lip as he smiled. “Look, Floy—”

“I gotta go hunting tonight, okay Goldfishie~?” 

Brows furrowed, feeling a bit of whiplash from the change of subject. “O-Okay…?” 

“Yesterday was a close call, so I gotta be a little more careful.” 

Riddle nodded slowly. “When should we leave?”

Finally, he set the knife down. “I’ll just go on my own again today, okay~?”

“What? Why?”

Floyd leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. “I just gotta do something on my own.”

There was something nagging at the back of his mind telling him it was a lie, but he couldn’t understand  _ why _ . As far as he was aware, the jikininki standing in front of him had never  _ lied  _ to him before. “And what is it you have to do?”

The blue-haired boy smiled, waving his hand to shrug the conversation away. “Don’t worry about it~”

This had been happening more often after they had gotten into the argument after he had helped Floyd with the man on the road. Usually, the argument was just that he had to go to town anyways and he’d just hunt on his way back. Other times, he’d just leave. Though, Floyd had quickly found out that that was the option that Riddle liked the least. “I thought we both agreed it was safer if I helped you.”

His expression faltered slightly—someone who hadn’t lived with Floyd as long as Riddle had might’ve missed it had they not been looking. “I’ll be okay!” He smiled once more, though the redhead couldn’t get that brief, pained expression out of his mind. 

Riddle opened his mouth to protest, but realized he didn’t have much of a leg to stand on if the other wanted to insist more. After Floyd’s discovery of the knife, he had to be on his  _ best  _ behavior. “...alright.”

* * *

Even though he enjoyed tending to his garden and his newfound freedom in the kitchen, he had to admit that it got  _ boring _ . Floyd would leave in the early afternoon and Riddle would usually be woken up from sleeping on the couch in the early hours of the morning. He slept there more often than not now—it was better than sleeping on the cold, hard floor of his room and he had to admit, on those days that the older boy went out hunting, there was a small relief to hear the door opening once more. A part of him wondered if he’d still feel that way when the door opened again tonight.

Riddle knew that relief didn’t make sense. Despite the fact that he had chosen not to kill him, he was still  _ angry _ at Floyd and he knew that probably wouldn’t ever go away. His whole life had been turned upside-down because of him. But he wasn’t  _ alone _ . Ever since he’d opted not to even attempt to run away despite knowing that his time on this Earth was coming to an end, he’d been wondering what his life would have been like if he hadn’t been with his mother when she died.

_ Was murdered _ .

Sometimes that distinction was harder to remember than he liked.

The teenager was heating the dinner that had caused so much chaos on the stove when the door flew open. Blue eyes looked over his shoulder, watching as Floyd stumbled through the doorway. “Floyd…?” His gaze moved down towards his stomach, taking note of the red that stained the fabric as the older boy clenched his body tightly. “Floyd!” 

The redhead rushed towards the other, grabbing Floyd’s arm to wrap around him. Instinctively, the ghoul leaned on him and the smaller boy applied pressure to the wound as he led the other towards the couch. “What the hell happened?!”

Floyd let out a pained laugh, which only resulted in him wincing in pain. “He  _ stabbed  _ me.” His nails dug into Riddle’s skin as the ghoul felt another surge of pain as Riddle lowered him on the couch and he could feel it sinking into his flesh. For a moment, he wondered if he should run once again. 

“That was rhetorical. Try not to talk.” The redhead kneeled on the ground in front of the other. “I’m going to take a look at it, okay?” He suddenly wished his mother was there—that he could have learned just a  _ little  _ bit more from her. She’d wanted him to become a doctor, to follow in her footsteps, but it wasn’t as if Floyd had brought any medical textbooks home with him like she had. Riddle had never even thought to ask—his bright future was over the day she died. It didn’t  _ matter.  _

_ Well, now it does.  _

He tried to push his regrets away as he lifted the fabric, taking note of the puncture wound. It was deep and he honestly had no idea how to determine if there was any internal bleeding or not. Riddle’s hands began to shake, though he didn’t have time to think about how  _ nervous  _ he was. He just had to do  _ something _ .

The smaller boy got to his feet, rushing towards the bathroom to grab the first-aid kit stashed under the sink. He opened it up, taking quick inventory before hurrying towards his room to grab a needle and thread. It wasn’t much, but if he could stop the bleeding, that’d be  _ something _ . 

Floyd’s eyes were closed when he came back, causing his heart to leap to his throat. The boy pat the other’s cheeks, pressing his lips firmly together. “Floyd, you have to stay awake.”

“I don’t wannaaaa.” He whined, a weak hand trying to swat Riddle away.

“You  _ have  _ to.” Riddle’s voice was stern.

The ghoul’s eyes opened halfway, watching the other for a moment before he let out another chuckle. “You don’t care if I die.”

“Shut up, of course I do.” The words had come out of Riddle’s mouth before he had the chance to even consider them. 

“I’m gonna nap now, okay~?” His eyes closed once more and the redhead patted the other’s cheeks once again. This time, he didn’t wake up.

_ Oh god.  _ He thought, taking a nervous step backwards. Blue eyes moved down to his bloodstained hands, taking note of how badly he was shaking. He wondered how his mother would have scolded him for how badly they were shaking or how long he was taking.  _ Any moment wasted could be the difference between life or death.  _ It wasn’t her voice that chastised him, but his own. 

He grabbed disinfectant from the first-aid kit, carefully pouring it on the wound. He watched the other’s face contort in pain, though he didn’t wake up.  _ Come on, Floyd. Stay with me.  _ The boy then moved towards the kitchen, grabbing a clean towel. 

On the way back, his eyes landed on the back of the other’s head, causing him to stop in his tracks. A realization settled into his bones as he clenched the towel tightly.  _ Would I be a murderer if I just let him die?  _ Blue eyes glanced towards the door for a moment, knowing this was his best chance of escape.  _ He might not even die without your help!  _ But he knew that was a lie. Without at least some  _ basic  _ medical care, it was unlikely the bleeding would stop any time soon. It appeared that he’d already lost a lot of blood just trying to get back home. 

Riddle shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. A part of him knew that not doing anything would save lives. Another part of him knew that even Floyd Leech didn’t deserve to die in excruciating pain. He just had to answer the question that had been floating in his head since he had stood over the other’s bed with a knife the night before—what is the right thing to do? 

The only answer he could give himself was that there  _ was  _ no right answer. But what ultimately made the decision was the tears stinging at his eyes and how fast his heart was pounding. Riddle’s bottom lip quivered as he moved towards the other once again, though he took a deep breath to try to force it back. Panic couldn’t save Floyd.

_ Please don’t leave me.  _

He grabbed the needle and thread, trying his best to stay steady as he attempted to thread it. One try. Then two. He was successful on the third. Riddle’s lips pressed firmly together as he stared at the wound, mentally preparing himself for just a second before he pressed the two sides of the wound together and began to sew the other’s stomach closed once more. 

Riddle took a cautious step back, eyeballing the stitches to make sure that it had successfully stopped the bleeding. His hands began to shake once more, the adrenaline of being the only one to save the other subsiding, allowing the panic of potentially losing the other to settle in once again. He felt helpless not knowing what else he could do to help him. “Please wake up.” His voice shook and he suddenly felt like a child once more. “ _ Please _ .”

Of course, there was no response. The teenager wiped as his cheeks as tears began to fall. His hands moved to grab the other’s legs, awkwardly shifting the other to lay down on the couch while carefully making sure he didn’t pull the stitches.

But then there was nothing else he could do. Riddle sat on the ground next to the couch, resting his chin on it as he watched the other boy. He couldn’t help but wonder if Floyd hadn’t rushed home, if he’d have easily been able to survive this. There was no telling how much blood he’d lost just trying to get back. Or if he’d been there, would he have been able to change the situation so that nothing had happened at all?  _ I warned you this would happen _ . He kept repeating inside of his mind.  _ You’re such an idiot _ . Those words continued until the early hours of the morning when he finally managed to drift off to sleep.

Blue-grey eyes fluttered open upon feeling the gentle graze of fingers running through his hair. His eyes widened, face shooting up to catch the content smile on the other’s lips, mismatched eyes still closed as he continued to rest. “Good morning, Goldf—” His words were cut off as Riddle jumped onto the other, arms wrapping tightly around the ghoul’s shoulders. Floyd let out a loud yelp, though his arms weakly wrapped around Riddle as well before the smaller boy glanced down towards his position dangerously close to the other’s stitches.

“S-Sorry.” The redhead managed to get out, shifting slightly so he was sitting on the very edge of the couch. His arms remained on either side of the other, propping himself up to look down at the injured boy beneath him. 

“Aha~” Despite the little laugh, Riddle could tell that it hurt. “It’s okay, Goldfishie.” The younger boy’s stomach tied into knots as he searched the other’s expression, taking special note of how pale he looked and the sudden relief that he was  _ okay _ . Floyd was alive. He was breathing. He was talking. He was  _ there _ . Riddle could feel tears stinging at his eyes, his lower lip wobbling a little. Floyd moved a hand to tuck a lock of Riddle’s hair behind his ear, the smile on his lips growing. “Cute~ Little goldfish was worried about me.”

“Of course I’d be worried.” Riddle managed to get out. 

The ghoul let out a dry laugh, his knuckles brushing lightly against the smaller boy’s cheeks. “I thought you’d leave me.”

His lips pressed into a fine line, a strange guilt settling in him as he remembered how tempting it had been. “You’re the one who said I couldn’t.”

The gentle brushing of Floyd’s knuckles stopped, his gaze fluttering from Riddle’s cheek to meet the blue-grey eyes staring down at him. “I keep giving you the opportunity.” And it was true—while there were still rules about leaving the house, the doors remained unlocked more often than not nowadays. He was left alone, free to roam wherever he wished when the ghoul went into town. And yet he didn’t leave. “Why are you still here?” His voice was a near-whisper as his loose fist uncurled, the pad of his thumb now brushing at his skin once again.

Riddle didn’t have an answer for him. Words bubbled up inside of him, but they got jumbled until there was no meaning left in them. Instead, he chuckled and tried to force a joke. “Well, why haven’t you killed me yet?”

Floyd’s lips curled into a smile, though his voice remained soft. “I don’t wanna.”

The small, amused expression the redhead had had slowly fluttered away at the other’s words. His brows furrowed together, uncertain how he was supposed to take them. He didn’t want to kill him  _ yet?  _ At all? “Floyd, maybe we should—” Riddle cut himself off, taking note of how casually ‘we’ had come out of his mouth, even when thinking about finding a new,  _ safer _ place for them to live. He’d be leaving behind the only place he really  _ knew.  _

“Maybe we should what?” As he stared down at the teal-haired boy, he couldn’t help but notice how fast his heart was beating and how sweaty his palms had become. His hands balled into fists, uncomfortable with the sudden confrontation of the fact that he didn’t want to leave Floyd at all. 

Riddle moved a hand to the other’s chin as he leaned down, his lips pressing firmly against Floyd’s. The ghoul’s hand moved from the younger boy’s cheek to his neck, though he didn’t kiss Riddle back. He lingered there for a beat until his hands moved to Riddle’s shoulder, pushing him away from him. 

Blue-grey eyes blinked in confusion for a moment. He watched as Floyd covered his face with the back of his hand, the pink tint at his cheeks still mostly-visible. It was only then that it dawned on him that it was possible he had  _ completely  _ misread the situation. “A-Ah…” Riddle tried to force  _ some  _ excuse out, though instead he simply shifted so he was no longer hovering over the other. “Sorry.” He finally managed.

“It’s alr—”

“I’m going to go take a nap.” He said, suddenly still overwhelmingly tired from the lack of sleep he managed to get. 

“Goldfi—”

“Goodnight, Floyd.” The teal-haired boy didn’t bother calling after him, though Riddle did pause in the doorway of his sad room. A fingernail tapped at the door frame, unable to look at the boy. “I’m glad you’re alright.” He finally managed to get out before entering the room and closing the door behind him. 

No matter how tired he was, he couldn’t sleep though. The mortifying embarrassment kept his heart pounding and he couldn’t help but wonder  _ how  _ he was supposed to face Floyd after that. He wasn’t sure how long had passed before he heard the familiar sound of the door creaking open. “Goldfishie…?” He whispered into the room, prompting Riddle to close his eyes tightly in an attempt to pretend he was asleep so the other would leave. “Goldfish?” He tried once more, though the redhead didn’t dare move a muscle.

The door closed and Riddle could hear the soft pattering of Floyd’s feet on the floor as he crossed the room. The ghoul kneeled down next to him, making it incredibly hard not to hold his breath. Floyd let out a sigh, moving the blanket to lay down next to the redhead. As soon as he felt the other’s hand on his side, Riddle shot up, staring down towards the other. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Aha~ I knew you were awake.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“I wanted to nap with my little goldfish~” 

Riddle’s hands balled into fists as he stared down at the other. “I hardly think that’s appropriate. You should be at  _ least _ resting on the couch.”

The ghoul’s hand moved to wrap gently around Riddle’s wrist. “I will in a little.”

He continued to stare at him for a long moment before letting out an annoyed groan, laying back down next to the other. Floyd’s hand moved immediately to Riddle’s side, his thumb sneaking under the hem of his shirt ever so slightly. Had he not kissed Floyd, he might not have even noticed the small, intimate gesture. But now everything was screaming at him that he’d read too much into the other’s affectionate actions. Every touch, no matter how gentle, sent the tingle of electricity running up his spine. “What do you want?” 

Floyd remained quiet for a long while, the easy-going smile long gone as he scanned Riddle’s face. “I’m probably going to kill you.”

The redhead nodded. “I know.”

“I’ve  _ already  _ tried to kill you.” 

His lips pressed into a fine line and it dawned on Riddle how rare it was to see Floyd  _ this  _ serious. A part of him wanted to go back to how it was previously. He still  _ wanted  _ to hate Floyd and acknowledging there was something else lingering inside of him gave him an uneasy feeling. Like he was betraying his mother. The doctor.  _ Everyone  _ who had died by the ghoul’s hand because of him. “I know. I’ve wanted to kill you, too.”

“Eh?!” Floyd’s eyes widened for a moment and that playful expression returned to his face, breaking the moment. “You mean you  _ weren’t  _ cutting vegetables in your sleep? That’s so mean, Goldfishie!” The smaller of the two rolled his eyes and pushed the other, ready to turn his back towards him to end the conversation, though the teal-haired boy pulled tighter on his waist, catching his lips in another kiss. 

Blue eyes widened at first, though he settled quickly into the kiss. His hands grabbed desperately at Floyd’s waist, pulling him closer as his mind began to go blank. It was only when the gasp of pain from the other did he realize what he’d done and he immediately pulled away from the ghoul, sitting up as concern washed over him once more. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

The teal-haired boy sat up as well, his hand moving on top of the other’s. “It’s alright.” He assured him, leaning in to give the boy a gentle peck on the forehead. “But my room’s comfier for a nap.” Riddle blinked a couple times before allowing a smile to form on his lips, giving the other a small nod.


	11. Chapter 11

There was a noticeable shift in their strange household after they had kissed. He’d wake up each morning with the ghoul clinging to him—which wasn’t all _that_ new—but what was was that Riddle didn’t _mind_ it. At first, he’d tensed up, nerves getting the best of him. But Floyd would offer him a sleepy smile as soon as the redhead began to stir, pulling him back into the bed to place soft kisses on his cheeks. And with each day that passed, it was getting easier.

Today was only _slightly_ different. The redhead was always the first to wake up, and as he shielded his eyes from the sun peaking through the curtains, he felt the familiar grasp of Floyd pulling him closer. Eyes widened at the sensation of something poking him through the taller boy’s sweatpants. Riddle pulled the blankets up past his nose, trying to hide the warmth radiating from his cheeks as the other boy continued to doze off.

He’d never had sex. That was obvious enough. He’d had a basic understanding of it from the medical textbooks his mother used to have him study and basic deduction, but he’d never given it much thought past his hormone-rattled mind during puberty. After all, there was no way he was going to live long enough to _have_ sex. But things were different now. Floyd was different. _He_ was different. And it dawned on him for the first time since they had kissed that he actually _had_ a boyfriend. Sort of, at least. It felt too complicated to give it a name so early on.

“Floyd?” The older of the two gave a tired grunt in response. Riddle took a deep breath, gathering what little courage he had before prying himself from the other’s arms. He pushed the other onto his back, seating himself on the top of his thighs as Floyd rubbed his eye, trying to wake himself up.

“What’s up, Goldfishie?” He managed to get out, his hands moving to rub gently at Riddle’s thighs.

“Fairly certain _you_ are.” Floyd chuckled, giving one of the redhead’s thighs a firm squeeze. He leaned his head back against the pillow, eyes searching the ceiling, though he didn’t address his erection further. Riddle could feel the heat burning at his cheeks, his fists tightening on top of the other’s bare chest as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to ask. “Do…did you want to have sex…?” 

When he finally managed to get the question out, Floyd looked at him once more. He offered a hint of a smile, though it was far from the normal one that usually lingered on his lips. “I think my stitches would still be too bad for that.”

Riddle knew that was a lie. It’d been six days since Floyd had been stabbed, and to his surprise, he was getting his strength back far quicker than a normal human should. He was moving around more often than not, and while he still hadn’t gone hunting since then, he knew that the danger of ripping his stitches open had passed. The smaller boy moved one of his hands to run along the admittedly poor stitches he’d done. “Looks alright to me.”

The jikininki sighed, lips pressing into a fine line before he sat up, resting both hands on Riddle’s hips. This position made the other’s hard-on far more obvious, though the grim look on the other’s face made him uneasy about what was about to transpire. He wrapped his arms around Floyd’s shoulders, wondering if he’d misjudged something. The smaller boy leaned in and Floyd brushed their lips together ever so gently before intaking a sharp breath, closing his eyes tightly. “I _really_ wanna, Goldfishie.” The redhead leaned in, giving the other a soft, gentle kiss in an attempt to tell the other that he wanted to as well. Floyd’s hands squeezed him gently, though he broke the kiss after a few seconds. “ _But,_ ” He paused, resting their foreheads together.

“But?” 

He was quiet for a long while and Riddle didn’t dare press the issue. He had an idea of what the issue was, but there was something about wanting to hear the other be vulnerable instead of filling in the blanks that kept him quiet. It was such a rare scene—vulnerability was often masked by lies or deflection—that every time Floyd was backed into a corner in which he _needed_ it, he hung off of each word. The redhead brought a hand to run through the other’s teal locks, trying to encourage it. “I’m worried it’ll be too much.”

Riddle nodded. There wasn’t much more that needed to be said on the matter. Despite his lack of sexual experience, he knew what could make things go wrong. The sweat, the proximity. The simple fact that it was harder for him to control himself. The potential of Floyd being unable to stop if something _did_ go wrong. “Alright.” The redhead leaned in to kiss the other once more, though this kiss was far more chaste than the last had been. “When you’re ready, then.” Mismatched eyes finally caught his again, an invisible _if_ hanging in the air. 

Floyd grinned, tilting his head slightly. “Hey, Goldfishie~” His fingers moved to pat down some errant hair that was still messed up from sleeping. “Do you wanna go with me to town today?”

The younger boy’s heart stopped. He searched the ghoul’s expression for any sign of this being a joke, though if there was any ill intent, the redhead couldn’t see it. “Are you being serious right now?”

The other nodded. With a newfound excitement, Riddle pushed the other back onto the bed, giving him a firm kiss. Floyd laughed into it, not even attempting to kiss him back. There was something exhilarating about the potential of seeing the outside world beyond the forest they regularly hunted in. People. No _death_. The two of them just blending into the crowd as if they were normal people going about their day. “Give me fifteen minutes, okay~?”

“You’re going to fall asleep again, aren’t you?”

Floyd pouted. “Of course not, Golfishie~”

The younger boy rolled his eyes, at first completely expecting the ghoul to try and sleep a little longer, resulting in them not leaving for _hours_. Though as he sat back on the other’s thighs once more, feeling the same bulge he had felt previous, it dawned on him that it was likely not the case. His eyes narrowed slightly, watching carefully as Floyd’s hands moved back to thighs and the way the yellow eye shined in such an unnatural-seeming way. “You’re a pervert.”

“Eh?!” The teal-haired boy laughed once more. “Maaaaaybe.” 

Floyd sat up once more, patting Riddle’s thighs to try to usher him off of him, but he didn’t move. Lips pressed into a fine line, watching the older boy carefully as he wondered how many perfectly normal things he just _assumed_ the other didn’t do because of his status as a mostly-dead being. There was still that overwhelming desire to be intimate with him that was still lingering as well, but they had drawn that firm line in the sand where neither was supposed to cross. 

But _would_ it be crossing if there he was simply in the same room? The redhead took a deep breath, wondering for a moment how he’d come to this point in his life where he seriously wanted to be with him—physically _or_ romantically. “Can I watch?”

Floyd blinked a couple times, obviously taken back by the sudden question. For the first time that he could remember, he could even see his cheeks turning a light shade of pink—so much softer than how his own cheeks reddened, but enough that it was noticeable and let a smugness wash over him. The ghoul bit down on his lower lip, considering the notion before finally nodding and pointing in the direction of the chair at the messy desk.

The redhead got off of the other and hurried to the chair, spinning around in it to watch the other awkwardly shift himself on top of the blankets. He took a deep breath, grabbing some lubricant from the bedside table next to him. Riddle crossed his legs, sitting back as he took in the sight of the other squirting some of the thick liquid into one hand, slowly taking his pants off with the other.

It was an odd sight to behold. He never thought that he’d be in a position even remotely _close_ to this and while it was exciting, there was something odd about the whole situation as well. He’d never really thought about Floyd touching himself and the idea that it’s possible he had touched himself to _Riddle_ sent goosebumps up his arms. Even if the two of them couldn’t be intimate for now, even something as small as this helped cement that he was _wanted_.

The ghoul began to pump at his erection, causing the younger boy’s own heart to begin racing. Blue-grey eyes moved between him masturbating to his face and back, not wanting to miss a second of what was happening. Floyd stared back as well, watching Riddle as one of his hands curled into the blanket. But it was the only sexual situation he’d ever been in. And it was _Floyd_ . And Floyd was watching _him_. The older of the two let out a grunt, his eyes closing as he found himself unable to concentrate on the redhead.

Lips pressed into a fine line, wanting that attention back. His mind was screaming at him not to do it, but he stood up, moving back towards the bed where the other was pleasing himself. Riddle brought a knuckle under the other’s chin, half-lidded eyes staring at him. He _knew_ that he was pushing it too far, that not only could it make Floyd angry, that it could actually endanger him. But his judgement was clouded by the other writhing in pleasure and he leaned down to kiss him. The hand entangled in the sheets moved towards the back of RIddle’s neck, pulling him closer as his tongue slipped inside of his mouth. Floyd was greedy and starving, but he didn’t care.

Riddle’s hand wrapped around the other’s hard on, pushing the other away as he began to pump instead. The ghoul moaned into his mouth, breaking the kiss as his breathing quickened. He could feel the other’s nails digging into his skin, the sharp claws that had torn so many people apart drawing blood from his skin. Still, it hadn’t even occurred to him to stop. He watched carefully as Floyd gasped, wanting to memorize the way his body reacted to an orgasm. The ghoul’s nails dug even deeper as his legs shook and he came into the smaller boy’s hand. 

Riddle kept his forehead pressed against Floyd’s as his breathing began to slow. His grip loosened from the back of his neck and the teal-haired boy gave the other a tired kiss. However, mismatched eyes immediately moved towards the blood on his fingers, his breathing taking on a new level of evenness as he concentrated. The redhead wondered if he should run, though his feet remained planted firmly on the ground as he watched the other try to control whatever urges were tugging at him as he stared down at the blood.

Lips pressed firmly together as he watched the scene in front of him until he loosely grabbed Floyd’s wrist, bringing the bloodstained fingers to his mouth. He hadn’t really known _what_ he was doing until he was already licking at the pads of his fingers. All that had been running through his mind was that the blood needed to be _gone_ . It wasn’t helping him and if he could help keep the urges at bay, _maybe_ they had a chance at this. 

Floyd’s eyes widened as he stared at Riddle. So many emotions flashed across his features in short succession before he pulled his hand back quickly. Riddle’s brows furrowed as he watched the ghoul defensively hold onto his hand, a sudden uneasiness washing over him. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head after a moment, his body untensing. “Go get dressed.”

But the boy didn’t move. “Floyd, what _was_ that?”

“It’s nothing, Goldfishie.” The older boy forced a smile on his lips, which only cemented the idea that something _was_ wrong. “Go get dressed and we can go, alright~?”

The redhead chewed on the inside of his cheek as he tried to read the other, but despite the years they’d spent together, Floyd still remained elusive. Riddle nodded, wiping at the blood on the back of his neck before making his way towards his room.

* * *

After they had gotten dressed, Floyd’s mood had returned to normal. When they had made it towards the road they had hunted on so many times before, he was practically skipping in the direction of town, careful to keep their fingers intertwined. 

Though as excited as Riddle had been, there was a strange anxiety settling within him. It had been so long that he had seen anyone that wasn’t Floyd that he wasn’t really sure how to _act_. He could feel his palms begin to sweat and his heartbeat quicken as homes began to appear. Then a couple shops. And then the town proper.

Floyd gave his hand a firm squeeze, taking note of the redhead’s aversion towards people as they walked along the sidewalk. “It’s alright, Goldfishie~” He tried to assure him, but it didn’t keep his jumpiness at bay.

There was also a strange nostalgia that came with it. He’d turn a corner and something would be so strangely familiar that he was thrown back in time. His mother’s clinic. The building that had once held the bookstore. A park where he could hear little kids laughing as they played with each other. He remembered never thinking anything of accidentally brushing against someone, just offering them a quick apology as whoever it was—usually an adult—smiled down at him and assured him it was okay. Now, brushing against him left him tongue tied and uncertain of how to respond. People no longer flashed him a smile. They either ignored him or shot him a glare.

It was strange to think that after all this time of dreaming about returning home that he would feel such an urge to turn around and go back home. This was what he was _supposed_ to want. It was what he had dreamed about all those years he had hoped of escape. But once again, Floyd was there to try to comfort him. He squeezed Riddle’s hand once more, stopping in their tracks to move in front of him. Hands moved on either side of the smaller boy’s cheek, a gentle smile on the ghoul’s lips. “It’ll take some time to get used to.” Riddle nodded and the teal-haired boy leaned down to give him a peck on the lips. The redhead leaned into it, trying to steal some of the casual confidence from the other.

But his words _had_ calmed him. Time had become such a strange thing in his life that he tried to force himself not to think about it. He either had no concept of it or there simply just wasn’t enough time. Floyd’s words had given him a strange assurance he hadn’t allowed himself to have in a long time—that he still had time. The implication that the two of them would come to town together, that there wouldn’t need to be a constant fear, the idea that they could have a relatively _normal_ life settled inside of him, easing some of the tension weighing on him.

Though, he couldn’t help but notice that they were just _wandering_. There seemed to be no real direction in mind as Floyd walked through the streets despite him knowing the town far better than Riddle would have at this point. Brows furrowed slightly as he took in all the shops, mentally noting ones that would have likely held things they could use at home. “Do we need anything specific?” 

Floyd shrugged a little. “Not really~” Brows furrowed as he glanced up towards the other, eliciting a laugh from the ghoul. It was an odd feeling realizing that they were just _there_. No particular reason. They were just free to walk around. 

Riddle tried to force the smile tugging at his cheeks away, but he ultimately decided that it was his turn to kiss the other. Fingers curled around Floyd’s shirt, pulling him down into a kiss. “Thank you for the date.”

“Aha~ Of course, Goldfishie.”

There was far less pressure now that he was able to just let himself _be_ in the town. They could sneak away into a quieter street if it was too overwhelming. They sat down and had sandwiches on a bench, Floyd’s hand on Riddle’s back as he watched the people pass by them. He never wanted this to _end_.

As they walked, blue-grey eyes finally landed on a strawberry tart in a window. He glanced through the glass, trying to find any sign of Trey in the shop, only to find a younger girl with matching green hair flashing a customer a sign. “Do you want one, Goldfishie?”

“Ah—no, it’s alright.” 

Floyd beamed down at him, squeezing his hand for a second before letting go of, practically already in the bakery before Riddle could call out to him. A part of him thought to chase after the other, but his skin turned cold as blue-grey eyes landed on Trey who had been partially obscured by the display in the window. He could see his former friend tense up and Floyd acting as if they had never met before. Yellow eyes moved towards the window, catching Riddle’s gaze. The redhead’s heart began to race and he quickly moved out of the way of the window, pressing himself against the side of the building and wishing to just disappear. He didn’t even dare move from his position until the ghoul returned, a bright smile on his face with a small cardboard box in his hand. 

“Let’s go.” Riddle ushered, hurrying down the street to get as far away from Trey’s bakery as possible. The faint ding of the bakery’s door echoed behind him, though he didn’t dare check to see if it were a customer or the boy he’d met again on the road so long ago now.

It was about an hour later that he actually started to feel comfortable again. They’d shared the tart, wandered through stores, and overall acted like a _real_ couple. Not that he’d even consider the two of them a couple yet. There were still so many things that were still in the air that made him uncertain of their status—if it would be too painful for Floyd to snap and kill him if it came down to it. Would making their relationship vague ease some of that burden for him? 

Really, he supposed it didn’t matter, though. When it came down to it, there was no denying that he still cared about Floyd and putting a word on it wouldn’t change that.

Something caught the teal-haired boy’s attention. “Wait here Goldfishie, okay~?” Riddle’s brows furrowed as the other bounded off, letting out a small chuckle to himself as he hurried into a shop. 

A hand caught around his wrist, pulling him into the crowd of people. Blue-grey eyes shot towards the culprit, taking in the semi-familiar look of his former best friend dragging him away. “Trey, _stop!_ ” He tried to yank his hand back but the older boy simply grabbed him tighter until the two of them turned the corner into an alley. 

Riddle rubbed his wrist, looking the other up and down. “ _What?_ ”

“You know what.” The green-haired boy crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. “I know he’s the one who’s killing people, Riddle.” 

The redhead tried to laugh it off, but he’d never been particularly good at lying. “What are you talking about?” Trey’s eyes narrowed, causing him to let out a defeated sigh. “You don’t understand.”

“ _I_ don’t understand?” 

“He doesn’—”

“Did he kill your mother, too?” Riddle could feel his blood turn cold, though he couldn’t force a lie to deny it. The older boy shook his head, letting out a defeated sigh. “Come on, you can stay with me until we find a place for you.” His hand wrapped around Riddle’s wrist once more, though it was loose enough for him to pull it back this time.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“What are you talking about? This guy’s _dangerous,_ Riddle.”

The redhead shook his head, crossing his own arms over his chest. He’d never felt so small as those yellow eyes burned into him, making him acutely aware of how he was defending a murderer. _He doesn’t even know the worst part_. “Not to me.” He finally managed to get out.

“You sound ridiculous.” Trey grabbed his wrist for the third time, careful that the younger boy couldn’t break free this time.

“Trey, _stop!”_ He yelled. 

“Aha~ There you are, Goldfishie~” He could feel Trey tense up, though he didn’t release his grasp. “Where are you going with the sea turtle~?”

“If you try anything, you’ll be caught.” Floyd’s eyes were narrowed at Trey and he could practically feel the anger emanating from him. 

“You think so, Sea Turtle~? I wonder~”

Riddle yanked his arm against as hard as he could, this time finally breaking free again. He rubbed at his wrist once more, though his gaze never moved from Trey. “This isn’t any of your business!” He watched as the green-haired boy’s fists clenched. “Just...leave us alone, Trey.” He finally managed to get out, his hand finally moving to lace with Floyd’s once more. The ghoul chuckled, sounding more like a brat than anything as he brought the back of Riddle’s hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on it to taunt the other. “Come on, Floyd.” 

“He’s going to kill you, too.” Trey called after them.

Riddle didn’t bother to respond. He simply glanced back at the other, taking in the tightening of his jaw and the way his brows knit tightly together. He had never really known Trey very well, but even he could tell that there was an anger simmering inside of him that left Riddle feeling uneasy long after his former best friend disappeared into the crowd. 


End file.
